Let This Heart Be Still
by Sgt. Hakeswill
Summary: No one had ever loved Obadiah Hakeswill but his mother, nor had he loved anyone but her. But there had been one other woman, the mother of his son. This is their story. NOW COMPLETE
1. A Chance Meeting

**Author's note:** _My Obadiah Hakeswill is derived mostly from the TV version, more so than the books. Pete Postlethwaite did a masterful job bringing Obadiah to life, clearly hinting at the damaged little boy buried underneath the unmitigated bastard. In essence, Pete made Obadiah human._

_I was also inspired to write this story by Steshette's excellent Hakeswill YouTube video, which supplied me with the title of this story. Along with more extensive notes about this story, this video can be viewed on my blog, which can be accessed from my author profile._

_I sometimes have weird tastes in men, having been attracted to the "bad boys" in TV and film since my earliest years. I love Obadiah to pieces. So sue me._

_I've written this story with the idea that love isn't just for the beautiful and popular, but that there's someone for everyone Even Obadiah Hakeswill._

_The story will be told mainly from Obadiah's point of view. Richard Sharpe will make a cameo appearance in the story, but will not play a large role. _

_Sharpe's Peril indicates that Obadiah's son, Barabbas Hakeswill, is half-Indian. For the purposes of my story, however, his mother is not Indian, but an Englishwoman._

**October 1799 - India**

Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill looked both ways before entering the alley that led to the damaged, abandoned stable where he'd squirreled away some of the loot he'd stolen in recent weeks. Satisfied that he wasn't being observed, he slipped quietly down the deserted alley with his haversack filled with pilfered items.

Since the British had taken Seringapatam a few months before, Hakeswill had been assigned to garrison duty along with a detachment from the 33rd. So far it has been easy duty, much to Obadiah's liking. He'd supervised crews cleaning up the mess made by the battle and in rebuilding fortifications, which had left him plenty of opportunities for plundering. Now that the cleanup detail was nearly complete, he'd squirreled away quite a tidy haul in various locations around the town. He figured that if one location was discovered by others, he still had plenty of loot hidden elsewhere.

There would be more opportunities for plunder with the new assignment coming, that would take his detachment out to patrol the nearby roads to keep them free of bandits. Hakeswill hoped they'd see plenty of bandits, so he could take their ill-gotten gains from them after running them through with his bayonet. Experience over the years had taught him that stealing from thieves was always a profitable venture.

Obadiah Hakeswill was a born survivor, having lived to tell the tale of being hanged at the tender age of twelve. He had fended for himself ever since, after his uncle had come to cut him down, telling him he'd done it for Obadiah's mother. But the uncle had told him to bugger off and never come back. After joining the army soon thereafter, Obadiah had learned that he couldn't depend on anyone but himself. Nobody gave anything away for free and learned early on that he had to steal if he was to get by. His motto was "Do it to them before they do it to you."

Garrison life had also afforded Obadiah the chances to get his carnal itches scratched more frequently. What with Nasty Naig setting up a brothel in Seringapatam to cater to the British forces and the ongoing availability of his men's wives, Hakeswill was well set in that regard. He would have liked to have had at least one woman who didn't cost or was more willing to lay with him, but he'd take it as he could get it.

Just this very afternoon, Private Miller's wife had finally come crawling to him. Hakeswill had set up her lazy, shiftless husband by putting stolen items into his haversack and had promised to overlook it only if his wife came to pay the price. It took three days, but pay the price she did. Obadiah had thoroughly enjoyed riding the big-titted brunette like an animal, so he was in a particularly fine mood as he entered the stable.

The door squealed loudly as he entered, and he heard the sounds of scurrying as he stepped inside. Rats or mice, no doubt; the place was full of them. The vermin didn't bother Obadiah; they served to discourage nosy people from poking around the stable. He liked the stable; it was quiet and peaceful where he could be alone with his thoughts for awhile. Sometimes, he came here even when he didn't have any new loot to stash.

After closing the stable door behind him, he went directly to the last stall in a back corner of the structure where the roof was still sound. Hakeswill knelt in the hay by the corner beam, then dug away the piled hay to reveal a loose board at the back. Working the nail free that held the hollow space in behind shut, he removed the stolen items from his haversack and placed them in a smaller bag before stuffing the bag up inside the hollow space behind the beam.

As he replaced the nail and was about to tighten it back into the hole, he heard the rustling sound again, this time louder. He quickly pulled the bayonet he always kept with him and whirled around.

"Who's there?" he growled hoarsely, as his face twitched. "Show yourself!" He inched forward carefully to peer into a stall on the opposite side of the stable.

He relaxed somewhat, but did not let down his guard, when he saw a nervous English woman with a baby cowering on the ground in the corner of the stall. Plain in the face, she was, but was nicely full-bosomed. Hakeswill judged her age to be about five years younger than his nearly thirty years.

Brandishing the bayonet in front of him, he demanded, "What did you see?"

"N-nothing, I assure you," the young woman insisted in a trembling voice.

"Why are you in here?" he asked. "Did you follow me?" Immediately after the words left his mouth, Obadiah knew that was ridiculous. If she were following him, she'd certainly not bring a baby with her.

"P-please don't hurt me," the woman said. "I didn't follow you. I come here all the time. I wanted a private place to feed and spend time with my baby."

"I don't see you feeding the little 'un, missy," he observed, as he sheathed the bayonet, then leaned against the stall wall. "And why didn't you say nothing when I came in? Seems kind of sneaky-like to me, it does."

"I was frightened," she said simply.

"As well you should be," he replied gruffly. "What are you doing in this run-down stable for, anyway? I can tells by the way you talk that you're not no regular trull. You're a lady."

"I _was _a lady," she agreed ruefully, as she absent-mindedly opened her bodice to give the baby access. "Up until the time my father put me out." She glanced down at the baby by way of giving a reason for her father's actions.

"Got you a bellyful before getting a wedding ring, eh missy?" Hakeswill said, chuckling, staring avidly at her chest, which was mainly hidden by the suckling child. "You'd not be the first. I'm surprised your father just didn't make the bastard marry you."

The young woman did not comment, but merely turned the baby around so Obadiah could see the child's face.

"Oh, my word, you've got you a heathen baby," he said, as it was obvious that the baby was half-caste. "Lots of the men have children by _bibbis_, but I can't say I've ever seen the reverse."

As she returned the child to her breast, he noted, "He tried to make you give the baby up, didn't he? 'Cos I can't sees an officer letting his daughter marry the heathen who dared give her a bellyful."

"You're very perceptive, Sergeant," she said wearily. "But I didn't want to marry Joseph's father; I just wanted my baby."

"If you don't mind me askin', how'd you end up having a sepoy's baby?" Hakeswill was puzzled. If she'd been raped, he'd have certainly heard about it, as they'd have publicly hanged the bastard what done it quicker than a flash. He sat down in the hay, ready to hear her story.

Looking sharply at the bald sergeant, who'd removed his shako and laid it in the hay next to him, "I'm not sure if it's any of your business, but it's not as if I have anyone else to talk to." Heaving a gusty sigh, she continued, "My father threw a party. I had too much to drink, and decided to go for a walk to clear my head. I made the mistake of passing by where some sepoy soldiers were garrisoned and met Joseph's father along the path. I was very drunk and he was very handsome and a smooth talker, besides. He seduced me and nine months later I had a baby. He was killed in battle long before I realized I was with child." Shrugging, she went on, "My father did not throw me out until he saw the baby. Even then, he told me I could stay if I'd give the baby up."

Looking intently into Hakeswill's eyes and not looking away when he twitched slightly, she asked, "I ask you, what kind of a mother would not love her child enough to care for it, no matter who the father may be?"

"Right you are, missy," Obadiah agreed fervently, twitching again. He closed his eyes briefly as his mind travelled back to think of his own beloved mother, the only person who had ever loved him and cared for him. Obadiah had never known who his father was, as he'd been the result after his mother had been assaulted by a gang of village ruffians when she was eighteen. "There's nothing more sacred that a mother's love for her child."

He looked again at the young woman, this time lifting his eyes from her bosom to her face, and suddenly, she did not look quite so plain to him any longer.

She met his blue eyes, seeing the intensity in his gaze, and blushed crimson.

After a moment of awkward silence, she said, "If we're to become properly acquainted, shouldn't we introduce ourselves? I'm Anna Perkins and this is my son, Joseph."

"Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, at your service, lass," he rumbled. "Is your father Captain Horace Perkins?"

"Yes, he is," Anna replied, sighing again.

"Bloody hell," Hakeswill swore. "He's a tough 'un. I can see him throwin' his own flesh and blood out, too."

"You don't have to convince me," she said bitterly. "I know only too well."

"And your mum?" he asked. "Where is she?"

"She died when I was only nine," Anna said. "That's how I ended up coming with my father when he was sent to India,"

"But you ain't living on the streets," Obadiah observed astutely. "You're too clean for that."

"You're right," she admitted, knowing she'd not get anything over on the shrewd sergeant. "Major Stokes and his wife did their _Christian duty_ and took me in in exchange for helping the servants out when needed in the kitchen."

Heaving another sigh, Anna continued "But they never let me forget that I'm a _sinner_ and that they are such _fine Christians_ for taking me in. But they don't give me any more than the bare minimum of food; hardly enough to keep body and soul together. I have to stay out of sight when they have company, as they say I'm too much of a _sinner_ to be fit for _respectable_ company. But they make me attend their tiresome Bible studies and I'm obliged to read Bible passages about sexual sin - they test me to make sure I've read it."

"I've never had much use for them pious, Bible-reading types," Hakeswill said darkly. "I'm not cumbered with morals, as suchlike has never helped a body so far as I can see. I do what I needs to do to survive and I don't worry myself none about what needs to be done to make sure I sees another day. I'm a practical man, I am." Looking sharply at her, "You needs to take some of my attitude if you want to survive and not let people run over you. God helps those who helps themselves, you know. I've been looking after myself since I was twelve."

"Twelve!" Anna exclaimed. "Did you run away?"

"Had to, missy," Hakeswill told her, his face twitching at the thought of the horrible memory. "Didn't want to leave my mum, but the village parson didn't like me and mum, you see. He had me set up for stealing a sheep, which I didn't do, and I was sentenced to hang."

"So you ran away to avoid being hanged," Anna guessed.

"Oh, no, they hanged me all right," Obadiah told her in a matter-of-fact tone. Turning his face up and removing the black cloth that surrounded his neck, he pointed to the prominent scar that surrounded it. "See there, missy. That's where they tried to hang me. Did a piss poor job of it, too, as you can see."

"Oh, my," she said, as she looked at the mark.

"God was looking out for me, even then," he asserted. "While I was dangling there struggling to breathe, heavy rains came and scattered the crowd. My uncle took advantage of that and came to cut me down. After I got my wits back about me, he told me to bugger off and never come back."

"Probably wise advice," she commented.

"That it was," he agreed. "There wasn't much I could do at that age, so I took the King's shilling and joined the army as a drummer boy. Army's been my home ever since and, as you can see, I've made my way up to Sergeant."

"You've done well for yourself, then," Anna remarked.

Before Hakeswill could reply, they heard a loud voice bellowing from a house's courtyard on the other side of the wall on the opposite side of the alley on its far end.

"Anna!" the female voice called. "Where are you, you worthless thing! It's time for Bible study!"

"Is that Mrs Stokes?" Obadiah asked, his face twitching in distaste.

"I'm afraid so," she said. "I come to the stable nearly every day just to get some time to myself and she thinks I'm sneaking off to see a man."

"This time, you are with a man," Hakeswill observed. "I'd best wait here while you go, so the old battleax doesn't see me."

After quickly fastening her bodice back, then putting the baby to her shoulder to give him a quick burping, Anna scrambled to her feet. "I'd better go. If I don't come, she'll come looking for me and I don't want her to find you or my hiding spot."

She hurried to the stable door, then looked back at Hakeswill, who was still sitting in the hay, idly petting a bony alley cat that had wandered in. "Maybe I'll see you here again?" she asked. "It was nice to have someone to talk to for a change."

"Most likely, missy," he said, the corners of his mouth turned up. "I liked chattin' with you as well."


	2. Ruminations

After leaving the stable, Anna Perkins hurried down the alley to the far end. She went through a gate that led to the garden behind the house that Major Stokes and his wife rented. Pausing a moment to soothe her fussy baby, she then headed to the back door, where Mary Stokes stood glaring balefully at her, hands on hips.

"Where have you been, Anna?" the older woman demanded sourly. "I've been looking for you for at least a half hour!"

"I took Joseph out for some fresh air," she said, determined to be evasive. "He'd been cooped up inside all day and I think it does him good to get out for a bit."

"That shouldn't have taken no more than a few minutes," the other woman said. "I'll bet you've been sneaking out to see another man for sinful purposes. Who is it - another heathen sepoy?"

Anna resisted the urge to sigh, confining herself to an eye-roll. "I've not been meeting anyone, Mrs Stokes," she said. "I'm busy enough right now just taking care of Joseph and doing my chores around the house." After a pause, she added, "I just stopped for a few minutes to feed him because he was crying and didn't want to make him wait until I got home."

"You don't mean to tell me that you fed him out in public like a native woman?" Mary Stokes asked, horrified by thought of it. "That's not a Christian thing to do - we feed our babies in the privacy of our own homes. You should know better than to do that."

"I didn't feed him in public," Anna assured her, feeling exasperated. "I slipped into a private area to do it, where no one was around. No one saw me."

"You know, you really ought to seriously consider what Major Stokes and I have advised you to do," Mary said as they entered the house. "That baby really needs to be with his own kind, as he'll never fit into English society when you eventually go home. And you'll never find a proper English husband as long as you insist upon keeping the evidence of your sin around for all to see! It will be hard enough for you to find a husband as plain as you are, apart from you having a half-caste bastard on top of that!"

"We've gone over this before, Mrs Stokes," Anna said in what she hoped was a patient tone of voice. "Joseph is my baby and he belongs with his mother. I love him and it's up to me to take care of him. And it's not as if the Indians accept half-caste babies any better than we English do."

"Well!" Mrs Stokes sniffed. "I'm only trying to help you." Sniffing again, she said, "Well, come along then. It's time for our Bible lesson. The servants are already waiting."

Surrendering to the inevitable, Anna followed her benefactor into the small back room where the Indian kitchen servants sat resignedly waiting for the lesson to begin. All of them were no more eager for the lecture than Anna was, but at least they had the advantage of not being able to understand much of the English language lesson.

As the haughty woman began the Bible lesson, Anna allowed her attention to wander. Satisfied that Joseph would sleep awhile in the laundry basket she'd placed him in next to her chair, Anna's mind turned to the man she'd met that day in the stable.

Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill was not of her class, nor was he a particularly handsome man. And he had an unfortunate nervous twitch, which Anna guessed was a result of the botched hanging he'd told her about.

But Anna was not repulsed by him; no, not at all. On the contrary, she was fascinated by him. She could tell he was a rough sort, having had to have clawed and scratched his way through life for every little thing he had. But she could almost see the hurt little boy he'd once been and something motherly inside of her found something inexplicably appealing about him.

Oh, it wasn't an entirely motherly feeling, if she were to be truly honest with herself. Despite all his apparent shortcomings, she knew she was attracted to the rawboned sergeant as a woman desires a man. One look into his intense blue eyes and she was hopelessly lost.

And he'd actually listened to her and seemed interested in what she had to say. Anna had not experienced that in quite a long time, if really ever. Even more amazing, he appeared not to be overly fussed by the fact that she had a half-caste baby.

All Anna knew is that she enjoyed talking with the sergeant and had felt oddly comfortable in his presence, twitch and all. As Mrs Stokes droned on, Anna hoped that she would see Sergeant Hakeswill again soon at the stable.

Later that evening, after having been made to polish nearly all the silver in the house, Anna wearily stumbled back to the tiny room she shared with Joseph. The room was long and narrow and she suspected that it had once served as a pantry, especially considering that it was in the back of the house, adjacent to the detached kitchen.

After taking off her stays, she slipped into the narrow bed wearing only her shift. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she nursed Joseph one last time for the night, then changed him nearly a half hour later. Kissing him goodnight, she laid him down into the laundry basket by the side of her bed which was lined with soft cloth for his comfort.

Anna stared at the ceiling for the longest time after she'd blown the candle out, still not able to banish Obadiah Hakeswill from her mind. She couldn't quite explain it, but she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

Just before she fell asleep, Joseph began to wheeze in his sleep, then cough. Anna rolled over to look down on him in the basket, dismayed that this was happening again. He'd had the problem on and off for a few weeks now and she did not know what to do to help him. There was no point taking him to the doctor; she'd done that once and all they wanted to do was to bleed him, which hadn't done him any good as far as she could see.

Joseph began to whimper, having woken himself up with the coughing. Anna picked him up, and sat up rocking him gently until the coughing and wheezing abated and he'd fallen asleep in her arms once more. A few minutes later, she carefully set him back down in his basket, then fell asleep almost immediately after her head had touched the pillow.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Obadiah Hakeswill lingered in the stable for about fifteen minutes after Anna Perkins had left. He went to watch her from the stable door, which he barely cracked open, until he was sure she was gone, then returned to where he'd stashed the day's loot.

He closed the stable door tightly, then went into the stall to redistribute the hay around the opening to the hollow space in the beam. After he was done, he stepped back to look to make sure that nothing appeared out of place that would attract someone to look closer. Satisfied, he turned to leave. As he went to pick up his now largely-empty haversack, he found the bony alley cat he'd been petting curled up on top of it.

"Sorry, but you're going to have to give up your bed, cat," Hakeswill told the animal, leaning down to give it a pat. The cat immediately started purring as Hakeswill's hand briefly made contact with it. "I needs my haversack."

After dislodging the cat from the haversack, Hakeswill looked down on the indignant feline with amusement. He walked over to another corner of the stable and piled some hay into a circle. "See? I made you another bed," he said, patting the hay. "Go lay down over there."

Hakeswill turned to leave, but the cat followed him to the door rather than go to the hay bed.

Looking down, he said, "You want to go with me, eh? You'd be better off staying here, plenty of mice for you to eat and good hay to sleep in." Patting the cat one more time before slipping out the door, he said, "Go on, now! You'll be more likely than not to see me again."

A few minutes later, Obadiah was slipping back up the alley, having successfully left the cat in the stable. At the mouth of the alley he looked around again before leaving, more determined that ever to keep the stable a secret from the other men.

When he entered the small enlisted men's tent encampment a short time later, he found a group of privates sitting around the campfire cleaning their muskets. As he walked over to the group, Private Miller looked up at Hakeswill with impotent hatred burning in his eyes.

Immediately picking up on the taller man's resentment, Hakeswill flashed a wide grin at Miller. "Your debt is paid, Miller," he told the private gleefully. "For now, at least, it is. Your wife came to pay my price this afternoon, she did. And such a nice pair of juicy tits I had the pleasure of laying my hands on, too. They bounced ever so much when I rode her."

Miller made a strangling sound, but did not otherwise reply. The two privates on either side of him each held an arm, to keep him from punching Hakeswill in the jaw. Most of the privates in the group had been subject to Hakeswill's taunting at one time or another and knew the best thing to do was not to overreact to him.

"Want to hit me, boy, do you?" Hakeswill jeered, grinning malevolently as his face briefly twitched. "Go ahead, give it a try and see what happens. I've been aching to see a good flogging, I have."

A short distance away, Abigail Miller, who was standing at the entrance of the small tent she shared with her husband, witnessed his humiliation by the sadistic sergeant. Feeling utterly ashamed at what she'd had to do to protect her husband from a flogging, she buried her face in her hands. Her face burned in shame at the memory of the leering Obadiah Hakeswill rutting in her like a randy goat.

Before she could disappear inside the tent, Hakeswill walked by on the way to his own accommodations. "Better keep the bed warm for me, lass, as I think your husband is going to be owing me again real soon." He reached out to squeeze one of her breasts before moving on.

Resisting the urge to spit in his face, Abigail retreated into the darkness of the tent, hoping her husband would not return soon. As embarrassed as she was, she could not bear to face him at just this moment.

Later that night in the privacy of his own tent, as Obadiah sat on the edge of his cot removing his boots, his thoughts returned to the young woman he'd met in the stable that afternoon. Anna, her name was, he remembered.

As he stripped down to his shirt and slipped under the sheets, Obadiah thought of how she didn't look at him in disgust as most other women did. He could tell that she didn't find him revolting and she hadn't even looked away when his face twitched, like so many people had over the years. The twitch had been with him for so long that Obadiah was hardly even aware of it any longer. It was just part of who he was by now, a frequent reminder of the horror he'd survived as a boy. He wasn't ashamed of it; indeed, it was a badge of honour to him which marked him as a survivor who would always beat the odds.

When he'd first laid eyes on Anna Perkins, he had seen a plain, washed-out face, beaten down by life. But as he'd talked with her and observed the love she had for her baby, she suddenly did not seem quite so unattractive to him any longer.

She had seemed truly interested in him as well, and it was a unique experience for Obadiah for a woman to treat him so, especially one of her class. As he drifted off to sleep, he was determined to get to know her better, hoping that maybe he, too, could find love as many of the men around him had been able to do.


	3. Confrontations and Comfort

**Author's Note: I was totally devastated to hear of the death of Pete Postlethwaite two days ago. All day, I could hear Obadiah in my mind saying, "You can't kill me", as he did at the end of _Sharpe's Enemy_. And, indeed, if we keep watching his TV and movie roles and remember him with love, he will never truly die. **

**This story is dedicated to the memory of Pete Postlethwaite, 1946 - 2011**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Two days later, Obadiah Hakeswill lazily walked past the British armoury on the way to get some lunch after an easy morning of work. He'd supervised a work crew filling in a bomb crater, in between doing a bit of plundering from his men's packs.

As he walked, the sergeant thought he'd pay a visit to the stable that afternoon, even though he didn't have that much plunder to add to his stash. He'd been thinking of Anna Perkins, on and off, for the last two days and his growing curiosity about her was the real reason prompting his desire to go to the stable.

Obadiah had spied a comely looking half-caste wench loitering outside the armoury as he approached it. Probably a whore looking to drum up a bit of business, he thought, knowing that soldiers would be passing this way close to the noon hour. He had a few coins that he'd plundered that day, enough to pay the whore's price, and though the itch wasn't at an unbearable level at the moment, Obadiah thought it might be a good idea to have a bit of a scratching before seeking Anna out at the stable.

Turning his attention to the young _bibbi, _he stepped away from his men to approach her.

"How much?" he rumbled, reaching out to squeeze one of her breasts like a melon.

At the same moment, the door to the armoury opened to reveal Sergeant Richard Sharpe coming out, followed by Major Stokes.

The next moment found Obadiah Hakeswill flat on his arse from a crashing blow to the side of his head from Richard Sharpe's right fist.

"Up to your old tricks again, Obadiah?" Sharpe sneered as the rawboned Sergeant picked himself up from the ground and dusted himself off, amid snickering from his men.

"What's it to you, Sharpie?" Hakeswill growled as his face twitched. "Go get your own whore! I've claimed this one and I've got the coins to pay her proper, see?" He gave his uniform jacket a shake which rattled the coins inside, as the young woman ran to stand behind the tall blond Sergeant.

Giving the angry Sharpe a canny gaze, he said, "Oh, I sees it all, now. She's _your_ whore, ain't she, Sharpie? Waitin' outside so's to give you your noontime scratching, is she now?" Giving the dark haired women an appraising gaze, he added, "What with all the money that I've heard tell that you have, I'd think you could afford better than this little _bibbi_. Nasty Naig's got far better than this one here."

"She's not a whore, Hakeswill!" Sharpe roared, now completely put out. In a softer, but no less cold voice, he added, "Why don't you go back to molesting sheep, Obadiah? They're more your style, I would think. After all, your mother mated with one to get you!"

Obadiah saw red at hearing Sharpe's foul insult to his mother. He launched himself at the uppity blond sergeant, determined to make him pay for what he said. Maddened by rage, he did not see Sharpe's foot shoot out, which connected squarely with his testicles.

Doubling over in unspeakable pain, Hakeswill was once again on the ground rolling back and forth in agony, amidst the scornful laughter of his men, who'd witnessed the entire encounter. Once the pain had abated sufficiently for him to get up, both Sharpe and his men were gone, leaving Obadiah alone in the street.

\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\

Anna Perkins had been kept so busy for the last two days that she'd not had time to visit her refuge, the stable. Mrs Stokes had been planning a dinner party and had needed every hand to make preparations. But the preparations would be completed by noon, so Anna would have the afternoon free. She was fortunate in that she would not be required to serve the guests - there were some advantages to being deemed unfit for respectable company, she thought wryly as she made the finishing touches on a plate of hors d'oeuvres.

Joseph had still been feeling poorly, but Mrs Stokes had not given her the time to properly look after him, as she was more concerned about the success of her dinner party than the welfare of what she called a "half-caste bastard".

The older woman had even been reluctant to allow her to keep Joseph in the same room with her as she worked, calling him a "nuisance" and a distraction, again urging her to give him up for adoption. If not for the kindness of the Indian servants who worked with her, she'd have been hard-pressed to even find time to feed him.

As Anna reached for another plate to place more food on, she was bumped from behind by one of the servants busy with her own work. She dropped the large platter she was carrying, with it shattering into hundreds of pieces on the floor. Unfortunately, Mrs Stokes chose just that moment to come through, just in time to see glass shards scattering everywhere.

Rushing over to where Anna stood, frozen in horror, Mrs Stokes reached out and slapped her hard across the face.

"You stupid, clumsy girl!" Mrs Stokes exclaimed loudly. "You can't do anything right! If I wasn't a good Christian woman, I'd put you and your sin-begotten bastard out right now! Clean up this mess, then get out of my sight! I don't want to see you for the rest of the day!"

Turning, the older woman stalked off in high dudgeon.

Her face burning in shame, Anna hurried to find a broom to sweep up the broken pieces. As soon as she was done, she slipped out of the house with Joseph, after first changing him. She headed straight for the stable, hoping that Obadiah Hakeswill would turn up there.

After grabbing a blanket for Joseph to lie on, Anna hurried down the empty alley to the stable, which she found currently deserted. She'd managed to grab a hunk of bread before leaving the Stokes home, so she spread the blanket out for her and Joseph and sat down to eat.

As she chewed the dry, stale bread, tears began to roll down her eyes as she thought of how she'd been humiliated that day and on nearly every day she'd been living there. When Anna had first been taken in by the Stokeses, she'd thought it to be the answer to all her prayers, but instead, it had turned out to be a nightmare. She'd never been allowed to forget for one day that she was a "sinner" and that her baby should not even exist. Her father had never once come by to see how she was managing or to see his grandson.

Anna had never felt so alone in her life and did not know how much more she could take. The tears were flowing freely now, with a lump having formed in her throat, as she rocked Joseph in her arms.

This was how Obadiah Hakeswill found her a half hour later as he quietly slipped inside the stable. After his altercation with Richard Sharpe, he'd stopped by his tent to clean up a bit, then had gone to the mess tent and got double portions of lunch, remembering that Anna had told him that she didn't always get enough to eat. He'd even nabbed a few pieces of salt pork, just in case the bony old cat turned up in the stable.

No sooner had he closed the stable door behind him than the skinny alley cat appeared from behind a stall wall. Reaching down to scratch the top of its knobby head, Obadiah mumbled, "Hang on, you old bag of bones, I've brought you something, I have."

Before he could reach inside his haversack for the pieces of salt pork, Obadiah heard the sounds of sniffling and crying coming from the stall on the end, where he'd first met Anna.

Moving carefully in that direction, he called out softly, "Who's there?"

Hakeswill peered over the stall wall to find a teary, red-faced Anna Perkins sitting on the hay atop a blanket, with baby Joseph lying beside her. She was twisting a handkerchief in her hand, which immediately reminded him of his mother, as this was what she did when distraught about the many injustices visited upon her during his childhood.

"What's the matter, missy?" he said as he laid his haversack down and settled himself next to her, leaning up against the stall wall. "I heard you bawlin' like a baby as soon as I opened the door to come in here, I did."

Anna looked up at the bald sergeant, giving him a hesitant smile, despite her red, tear-stained face. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here. I was hoping you'd come."

Obadiah awkwardly reached out and took her hand in his own, not quite knowing how to react. He wasn't used to women being glad to see him, let alone looking forward to it.

When Anna did not pull away, but rather squeezed his hand gently in return, he cleared his throat then said, "I brought some lunch for us, I did. I thought you might be sittin' here with your little 'un and figured you might like something to eat."

Brushing the tears away and wiping her face with the handkerchief, she said, "Thank you ever so much, Sergeant. It was quite thoughtful of you."

"Obadiah, missy," he said. "No need to be so formal with me, 'cos we're friends and all, ain't we?"

"Yes, we most certainly are…Obadiah," she said, her smile broader now. Realizing just how hungry she was, she asked, "What did you bring? I'm famished."

Hakeswill chuckled, then said, "Hold your horses, missy. Give me a chance to unpack it and you'll see soon enough."

Releasing her hand, he reached into his haversack and brought out a good sized bundle wrapped in linen. He spread the linen cloth out in front of them to reveal some sausage, ham, a bit of cheese, and some bread. Reaching inside the haversack once again, he pulled out two wineskins he'd bought at a little shop not far from the armoury.

"Oh, it's practically a feast!" Anna said, eying the food hungrily.

"That it is," he agreed, but thought to himself that she really must not be getting all that much to eat if she thought this little bit of food was a feast. As he pulled out his pocket knife to slice the sausage, the grey striped alley cat reappeared, moving to rub against Hakeswill's leg, purring loudly.

Looking down at the purring animal, he said, "Oh, I've not forgotten about you, you little beggar." Reaching in to the haversack, he took out several pieces of salt pork, which he threw to the far side of the stall, away from food he'd brought to share with Anna.

As the cat gobbled it up, Anna said, "I've seen that cat before. He seems to like you."

"Always had cats growing up, I did," Obadiah told her. "I've always had a way with them."

His face twitched briefly, as he remembered the cats that had been pretty much his only friends as a boy. And more recently, he recalled that he'd even been able to charm that big tiger when he was locked down in the Tippoo's dungeon a few months before.

Anna smiled to see the hard-nosed sergeant interact with the skinny cat, who obviously adored him. She knew that anyone who had a heart for animals could not be completely bad.

Feeling suddenly shy, Anna said, "I suppose we'd better eat before the cat gets it all."

"Good idea, missy," Hakeswill agreed as he quickly made himself a sandwich, then handed Anna some sliced sausage. "Here's you some sausage to go with that bread and cheese you're holding."

The two sat in companionable silence for several minutes as they ate the food before them, both feeling entirely comfortable in the other's presence. Baby Joseph slept on, as Anna had fed him not long before Hakeswill had arrived.

After a long moment, Hakeswill looked closely at Anna, whose face was still red from crying. "You never did tell me before what had you all upset, missy," he reminded her.

"Oh, it's nothing really in particular," Anna told him. "Mrs Stokes slapped me across the face today in front of the servants for dropping a plate, but I can take that. What I'm finding harder to take is her pressuring me to give up Joseph. She often doesn't give me the time to pay proper attention to him, even when he's ill, and acts as if he's worthless. The woman never refers to him by his name; it's always 'that heathen baby' or the 'sin-begotten bastard'."

Hakeswill's face twitched as he remembered his bastard status often being called attention to as a child, especially by that pox-ridden vicar who seemed to take particular delight in humiliating him and his mother when he was little. It was the vicar who ended up being the one responsible for the twelve year old Obadiah being hanged. He hated that bleeding sod even more than he hated Sharpie and lived for the day when he could return home and exact his revenge on the pious hypocrite.

"What are you thinking about," she asked softly, noticing the pensive expression on his face.

"I was called a sinful bastard and much worse when I was a boy, on account of me never knowing who my father was," he told her, his face twitching again. "I knows how you feel to hear that, 'cos it always made my mother cry when folks would call me that, even when I was a tiny little 'un." He didn't mention that it made him cry, too, when he saw his mother ill-treated because of him.

"I'll bet you were a cute little fellow," Anna said, smiling. "Was your hair auburn like your side whiskers are now."

"That's right," he confirmed, feeling both pleased and awkward by her interest. "Started losin' it early on, probably from when I was eighteen or so."

As Obadiah turned his head to give the cat a bit of his sausage, Anna suddenly noticed a cut on his left cheek, with a small bruise underneath the dried blood.

"Oh, what happened to your cheek?" Anna said in concern. "You're hurt!"

Obadiah reached a hand up to feel where Sharpe had hit him to get him away from the _bibbi _by the armoury.

"Oh, it's nothin', missy," he said dismissively. "Just a disagreement with another sergeant today, is all."

"What happened?" she asked, perplexed. "Why did he hit you?"

"Oh, Sharpe has never liked me," Obadiah said vaguely, not wanting Anna to know they'd tangled over a woman. "I was the one what recruited Sharpie into the army, you see, when he was on the run from the law after killin' a man. I saved him from the hangman's noose, I did. You'd think he'd be grateful to the man who showed him the ropes when he first joined the army, but the bleedin' sod has gotten above himself and forgotten about what old Obadiah has done for him. Why, not more than a few months ago, he threw me into a pack of tigers, he did."

"Oh, that's terrible!" Anna said. "Sergeant Sharpe, you said? There's a Sharpe who works for Major Stokes. I've seen him visiting Major Stokes a few times, but he's never paid me any attention."

"Up until the battle a few months ago, Sharpie was a private soldier; one of my men, he was," Hakeswill told her. "But he's always been an officer's pet, never knowing his proper place. He managed to get one of them officers to make him a sergeant, he did, and then an easy job working for the Major, instead of workin' hard like a proper soldier ought to do."

After a moment, he added, "I think Sharpie don't like me because I reminds him of where he came from. Sharpie and me both came from the gutter, you see, and seein' me just brings him back to all of that, it does, and he don't like that none at all."

"How in the world did you get away from the tigers?" she asked.

"Oh, I was lucky," he told her with a slight twitch of his face. "I've always been good at survivin', I have. It's almost like I cannot die. Maybe it's my mother still lookin' out for me from heaven. And Sharpie didn't know that the tigers had been fed before he threw me in with them. So, I was able to hold out until someone found me."

"And you're good with cats," she observed. "Big ones as well as little ones, too, I'd imagine."

Hakeswill chuckled at this. "It would seem so, missy."

"Why didn't you report him?" Anna demanded. "He shouldn't be allowed to get away with that."

"I did report him," he said, twitching again. "But two officers - one of them a bleedin' Froggy prisoner! - lied for him and said he'd been with them, they did.

"That's terrible!" she said indignantly. "You shouldn't let him get away with that!"

"Don't you worry none about that, missy," Obadiah said emphatically with a cackle. "Do you think I'd let him get the best of me? Not bloody likely! Obadiah will get the best of old Sharpie, just you wait and see. I just has to wait until the right moment when he least expects it, see? I'll get my pound of flesh out of Sharpie, I will."

Shivering slightly, Anna murmured, "I'm sure you will." It was an odd feeling that Obadiah generated in Anna. She shivered partly in fear, because she knew he meant what he said about getting back at Sharpe and was quite glad not to be in the blond sergeant's shoes right then. But she realized that part of her shivers were from desire, as she instinctively realized that he would be just as keen to protect something - or someone - he valued.

Looking up at him, she pulled a clean handkerchief out of her pocket. Moving closer to him, she murmured, "Here, let me clean that off for you."

Before she could lift her hand to his cheek, he took her hand and the two gazed intently into one another's eyes for a long moment, with neither saying a word.

Obadiah's face twitched briefly, as he looked down into Anna's sea-green eyes, her face now mere inches from his own. Her gaze did not waver in the slightest when he twitched. He could see the desire in her eyes and it was for him! He'd seen the eyes of women he'd taken in the past widening in fear or narrowing in revulsion, but never before burning in desire as Anna's eyes were now. Obadiah never kissed the women he rogered, but he desperately wanted to kiss Anna, now. His hands trembled at the thought of doing so as he continued to look into her eyes.

Anna felt his hands shake, which betrayed the measure of emotion he sought to control. Her breath quickened in anticipation as Obadiah's warm hands continued to hold hers. She, too, could see the need in his eyes that went beyond simple lust and a soft sigh escaped her lips at the realization. Obadiah Hakeswill was not cultured nor virtuous, nor was he particularly handsome, but Anna did not care. All she knew was that she wanted this man more than she'd ever wanted anything in her life.

"Anna." This was the first time that Obadiah had addressed her as anything but "missy". He slipped a hand under her chin, tipping it up toward him.

"Obadiah," she murmured as his lips came close to hers.

Hakeswill hesitated for one brief moment before softly touching his lips to hers, for a tentative kiss. Finding no resistance, he tried again, this time deepening the kiss as he felt her arms go around him to gently rub his back.

As the couple continued to kiss for several long moments, Obadiah felt the beginning of tears welling up in his eyes as he experienced long-unaccustomed emotions that both perplexed and excited him. He felt a contentment he'd never before known as he held Anna close in the shelter of his arms.

A moment later, Joseph awakened, crying loudly.

The spell was broken as Anna reluctantly broke away to see to her son's needs. "Oh, he's wet. I'll need to change him."

Hakeswill looked away briefly to quickly rub the moisture from his eyes, not quite ready for Anna to see him quite so vulnerable. Returning his gaze to Anna, he looked on in approval as she lovingly attended to her son's needs..


	4. Jealousy and Reassurance

Obadiah Hakeswill left the stable a short time later, almost in a daze. He'd sat there for a short time alone after Anna had left to return to the Stokes home, attempting to process what had just happened between the two of them. All sorts of unfamiliar emotions were swirling through him along with the usual sensations of lust. Though Obadiah had been with countless numbers of women since joining the army, he'd never before experienced the unsettling feelings that Anna had generated in him.

All he knew now, though, as he left the alley was that the itch has grown to the point where it was all he could think about. He realized he had to have something right away or else he'd burst. But after what he'd just experienced with Anna, he did not want to seek his outlet in the usual fashion by intimidating one of the men's wives into it. No, he'd go find him a _bibbi_ who'd be willing enough as long as he gave her the right amount of coins. Obadiah knew it would be a poor substitute of what he hoped to experience with Anna in the near future, but he had to get some relief, fast.

Anna Perkins was also in a haze as she returned to the Stokes residence, but she was much less confused than was Obadiah. She'd felt a real connection with him in the stable; the kiss had only served to cement their attraction to one another. As she entered the garden, Anna felt an overwhelming sense of hope that Obadiah Hakeswill might be the way out of her current dismal living situation.

Sure, a man like Obadiah Hakeswill wasn't exactly what she'd pictured as a girl when imagining the Knight in Shining Armour who would come to sweep her off her feet when she grew up, but she instinctively knew he was right for her. And being with him would be a long sight better than continuing to live with the Stokeses or being passed along to someone else as a charity case to be treated with pity or scorn. Though Obadiah was crude and graceless, he did treat her with all the respect he was capable of giving, without any traces of pity or scorn. And he made her laugh. That was important to Anna.

Anna felt an unfamiliar restlessness as she went into her cramped room to put Joseph down for a nap. It was a longing, an insistent yearning which she'd felt since leaving Obadiah in the stable. She knew it to be desire, but she'd not felt anything of this intensity when Joseph's father had seduced her. No, she reckoned what felt now was full blown lust. What Obadiah had kindled in her was as different from what she'd experienced with Joseph's father as a single candle was from a forest fire. After putting Joseph down into the basket, she was in such a state that she paced back and forth fretfully, not quite knowing what to do with herself.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sergeant Hakeswill entered the tent encampment about an hour later in a much calmer state than he'd left the stable, thanks to the young _bibbi_ helping him to take a bit of the edge off. Still preoccupied with what had happened with Anna, he passed the group of privates sitting around the fire without a single word. He likewise ignored a couple of wives sitting near a tree as he proceeded directly to his tent.

"I wonder what's wrong with Hakeswill?" Private Miller said nervously as the scrawny sergeant passed them by without a glance. "It's not like him to leave us alone."

"I couldn't say," Private Taylor said. "I'll bet he's up to something, though. He's one to always have some sort of a scheme going."

"No doubt," Corporal Grimsby said. "I've known Hakeswill for a long time and he's not one to let things lie for very long. Best thing for us to do in the meantime is stay out of his way as much as possible and keep a closer watch on our womenfolk."

"You don't think that Sharpe knocked the fear of God into him today, do you?" Miller asked.

"Not bloody likely," Grimsby said, chuckling. "The only thing that will knock some sense into that mad bugger is to give the hangman another go at him."

The next few days were busy ones for both Hakeswill and for Anna, without either of them having the time to visit the stable.

Obadiah and his men had been kept busy on several reconstruction details around the town, as a new Colonel was coming to take command and things needed to be just so before he arrived. They'd worked overtime to get it all done before his arrival. Work that they'd have normally done over the course of two weeks had to be done in just a few days. Each night after work, Obadiah gratefully sought his bed in exhaustion shortly after supper

Anna, too, had been kept busy, being treated more like a servant than a guest as the days passed. Baby Joseph's health had not improved; indeed, it seemed as if he was getting sicker. His coughing and wheezing came more often, and he slept only fitfully most of the time now.

On one morning, Mrs Stokes gave Anna a large package of food to take to the new colonel's home. The colonel and his wife would arrive that day, so the major's wife wanted to send them a housewarming gift to make a good first impression.

As Anna turned to make Joseph ready for the walk, Mrs Stokes said, "Leave him here. He'll just slow you down. And there's no need to call your shame to the attention of the colonel and his wife."

"I can't just leave him here unattended," Anna protested.

"I will look after him for you," one of the Indian serving girls said in halting English. "I have my own little baby here with me, so one more will be no trouble."

Anna smiled at the Indian woman, who had watched Joseph for her in the past for short periods of time. "Thank you," she said warmly. "I promise not to take too long."

"Take your time," the Indian woman said. "It is a beautiful day and you should enjoy the sunshine for awhile."

A short time later, Anna had arrived at the arriving colonel's new home, which was the same residence that the departing colonel had recently vacated. As she entered the rear courtyard, the house was a beehive of activity as she encountered several servants bustling around getting the house in order for its new tenants.

She spied an officer, a captain, sitting on a chair outside the back door. Approaching him hesitantly, she asked, "Where might I find Colonel Gore's wife? I have some food here from Major Stokes' wife. She thought they might be hungry after their long trip."

"They haven't arrived yet, but should be here soon," the officer said. "I'm Captain Pendleton, the colonel's adjutant. I was sent ahead to make sure everything was in order before they arrived."

"Oh, dear," Anna said. "I hope the food doesn't spoil before they get here. It is such a warm day."

"That might be a problem," the young captain said, giving her a gallant smile. "Why don't you sit down and join me. You and I can eat it so it doesn't go to waste."

"Oh, no, I couldn't do that," she demurred. "Mrs. Stokes would be displeased."

"I'll take responsibility for it," he urged. "You can say you gave it to me and if someone asks, I'll say I ate it all by myself!"

Anna laughed merrily, then said, "In that instance, I accept." She looked into the green eyes of the blond haired officer and smiled. He was tall and well-built and moderately handsome to boot, with long glossy hair.

As the two sat side by side and began to eat, Captain Pendleton said, "I've just arrived in this beastly country. You see, I'm a third son and won't inherit. My father recently purchased a captaincy for me, and before I knew it, I was off to India!" Looking down at Anna, he said, "I must say I'm glad to see an Englishwoman in this Godforsaken town. But I imagine that you must be one of the officers' wives."

"No, it's my father who is an officer: Captain Horace Perkins," she explained. "I'm Anna Perkins."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

At the same time that the two were chatting over lunch, Sergeant Hakeswill's men were sitting under some trees on the other side of the house on their own lunch break. As the men ate, Obadiah Hakeswill slipped into the house from a little-used side entrance. He could hear servants busy on the other side of the house, so he crept up the back stairway to see what he could find to steal. It was the perfect time for it, with the household in disarray and the new tenants not yet arrived.

No one was about in the upstairs corridor, so Obadiah, looked into doorways as he moved along stealthily. In the largest bedroom at the end of the hallway, he found what he was looking for. Several large bags and valises and a trunk had been brought into the room; no doubt the colonel's luggage arriving ahead of him.

Obadiah listened for a moment at the top of the front stairway. After a moment, he was satisfied that no one was coming, so he entered the room and immediately set to work. He fished a set of lock picks from his jacket and got the trunk open in less than a minute. Seeing several uniform coats inside, he ran his hands through the pockets coming up with several guineas. Moving on to the valises, he found a bag full of assorted coins, with most of them being guineas yet again. Another velvet bag revealed some women's gold rings and necklaces, all set with expensive gemstones. A smaller bag contained several men's rings and cufflinks, again, all in solid gold.

As he quickly transferred the loot to his haversack, he heard the sound of feminine laughter coming from the open window that sounded familiar to him. After stopping briefly to listen again for anyone coming up the stairs, he moved over to the window to peer out carefully to find the source of the sound.

He was floored to discover Anna sitting in the courtyard with a prinked up, Jack-pudding officer. From the man's pristine uniform, as yet unfaded from the hot Indian climate, it was obvious to Obadiah that the man was right off the boat and probably had never before been in a proper battle.

Seeing Anna apparently enjoying the company of the foppish officer hit Obadiah like punch to the gut. As he quickly backed away from the window and slipped back down the backstairs to leave the house so as not to get caught stealing, a lump formed in his throat at the unfairness of it all.

He should have expected it. Of course, Anna would rightly prefer someone of her own class, rather than some broken down old bastard from the gutter like him. He tried to tell himself he'd be better off without her, but the lump in his throat told him otherwise.

With a grim expression on his face, he stalked over to where his men were still lolling under the trees. Lifting his booted foot, he drew back and kicked Private Miller hard in the arse.

"Get up, you lazy buggers!" he roared malevolently. "The army ain't payin' you bleedin' sods to lay about in the sun like bloody Lords. I'd better see you workin' right smart or there'll be a flogging, mark my words."

The men quickly scrambled to their feet, sighing because Hakeswill was back to his old miserable self. As they rushed off to go back to work, the sergeant reached a hand out to hold Miller back.

"Have your wife at my tent after supper tonight, or else you'll be getting your back torn bloody first thing in the morning, you will," he told the unfortunate private with a feral grin on his face.

After the unhappy private nodded in resignation, Hakeswill let him go, then turned to Corporal Grimsby.

"Grimsby, I needs you to take over the work crew for the afternoon," Hakeswill told him. "I've got me some things I needs to do this afternoon, I do."

After Grimsby acknowledged his orders, Hakeswill hurried off in the direction of the stables. He needed to stash this new bit of loot, which would yield quite a lucrative return when he was able to fence the jewellery to the right buyer. And Obadiah simply needed to be by himself for awhile after seeing Anna with that bloody Jack Pudding.

After the dejected sergeant hid his latest haul in the hiding place and covered it back up, he leaned against the stall wall replaying again the sight of Anna laughing with the young officer.

"I'm a bloody arsed fool," he muttered to himself, his face twitching. "Getting above myself, I was, thinking I could have a woman like Anna love me." Throwing his haversack against the wall in frustration, he said, "I guess old Obadiah wasn't meant to have no woman of his own. It's back to the rancid slags of the regiment for me, it is. And even they think they're too good for me."

As he continued to bemoan what he believed to be his fate, the tiger striped cat stole into the stall and jumped on Hakeswill's lap. It began purring loudly while sticking its head under Obadiah's hand, demanding to be petted. As he continued to ruminate over the latest turn of events, he idly petted the bony cat, which helped calm him to some degree.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Back at the colonel's house, Captain Pendleton turned to Anna and said, "I'm surprised to see that that an eligible woman such as yourself is not already married, Miss Perkins. Did you lose your intended in battle?"

"No, Captain," she replied quietly. "I've never been engaged."

"How odd!" he said. "I would have thought your father would have at least arranged a suitable match for you."

Taking a deep breath, Anna decided to go with the truth. She knew he'd eventually hear it from someone else, in any instance. And the pompous young officer was beginning to irritate her, so it was time to see just what kind of man he was.

"I'm not married because I had a son out of wedlock who is half Indian," she stated baldly. "His father was a sepoy." Anna lifted her chin defiantly to look Pendleton straight in the eye to let him know she wasn't ashamed in the least of her son.

"I…see," Pendleton said after a long moment. He jumped up from his chair as if stung, knocking it over. Not being able to keep an expression of disgust from his face, he sneered, "I really must return to my duties now." He began to walk away, then turned back to her and said, "I had no idea that I was chatting with a…whore. I must say that you do imitate a lady quite well."

He rushed off, leaving Anna alone in the courtyard. Several of the servants, who had heard the gossip about her, gave her sympathetic glances but none dared speak to her.

Anna sighed in resignation as she turned to leave, knowing that this would be the likely reaction to her frank disclosure. Her cheeks burned in shame, however, to be humiliated in such a manner in front of servants. How dare he!

Anna had been taken off balance because she wasn't used to any of the officers paying attention to her, even before she'd fallen pregnant with Joseph. As a plain looking women, men routinely passed her by and she was used to being relegated to the background at every social event she'd ever attended. Since having Joseph, the only difference now was that she was no longer invited to such social occasions at all.

Despite being used to this kind of treatment, it still hurt every time it happened. She'd not really been interested romantically in the new captain, but it would have been nice to have had a new friend. But he'd proven to be no different than the rest of the small minded officers in the garrison.

Her mind turned to Obadiah as she walked back down the street in the general direction of the Stokes residence. From what she could see, he was a deeply flawed man who was nevertheless comfortable in his own skin and likewise was not overly fussed when he saw the imperfections in others. It was simply part of the human condition for him.

Still feeling depressed at what had just happened, she turned down to head for the stable to spend a few minutes alone before returning to the Stokes home. She didn't want Mrs Stokes to see she'd been upset, as Anna knew the old bat would simply tell her it was her own fault for being a sinner.

As she slipped into the stable a few minutes later, she heard some indistinct muttering coming from the opposite side of the stable from which she usually sat.

"Obadiah?" Anna called. "Is that you?"

She found the rawboned sergeant sitting against a stall wall with the cat still sitting on his lap. Anna caught a brief glimmer of anguish on his face before he quickly schooled his expression.

Turning his head at the sound of her voice, twitching briefly, he said, "I didn't expect to see your face 'round here no more, missy."

"What?" Anna said, completely puzzled. "Whatever would make you think that, Obadiah? I love coming to see you!"

"Just thought now that you're seeing that new officer, one of your own class, he is, that you'd not want to bother with the likes of me no more," he said gruffly.

"What new officer?" Anna was perplexed for a moment, then it dawned on her whom he was speaking of. "You mean Captain Pendleton? I'm not seeing him! For goodness' sake, I only just met him this morning when I brought over some food for Colonel Gore and his wife!"

"I seen you talking and laughing with him, I did, and thought you found him better company than me," Obadiah explained, his face twitching again.

Lowering herself to sit down beside him, she took his bony face in her hands. "Oh, Obadiah!" she murmured. "Believe me when I tell you this, but you are much better company than he could ever hope to be." She leaned forward to kiss him briefly, and as she moved to lean back, he drew her in for a more thorough, searching kiss.

"You means that?" he said lowly.

"Oh, yes," she assured him. "He was so full of himself that I'm surprised he could get a hat over that big head of his!"

They both chuckled briefly, then Anna scowled and added, "And he had the gall to insult me in front of all those servants. It upset me so that I came here to collect my wits before going back to the house. Mrs Stokes would have just told me it was my own fault if she saw me upset."

"Insulted you, did he?" Hakeswill asked, his voice having taken on a sharp tone. "What did the bugger say?"

"He called me a whore!" she told him. "He was asking all sorts of personal questions about why I wasn't married, so I just told him about Joseph."

Obadiah nodded sagely. "Changed his tune right quick, I would think."

"He couldn't get away from me fast enough," she reported. "I wasn't seeking him to court me, but was simply chatting with him to waste some time before having to go back to the Stokeses. We ate the food I'd brought as the Gores hadn't arrived and the food would have spoiled by the time they arrived if someone else didn't eat it."

"Sounds like he needs to be taken down a few pegs for insultin' you," Obadiah said darkly. "Man needs to learn his place, he does."

"Oh I'm all right," she assured him. "Truly, I am." Leaning forward again, the two kissed for several long moments. As he held her in his arms, Anna realized that Obadiah must truly care for her if the look of anguish she'd briefly seen on his face when he thought she'd moved on was any indication.

By the time Anna left a few minutes later to get back before Mrs Stokes missed her, Obadiah Hakeswill already had a plan in mind to get revenge on the foppish captain for insulting Anna. He was cackling to himself as he thought of how sorry Pendleton would be for humiliating his woman, for that was now how he now thought of Anna. A woman of his own, at last.


	5. Payback

No sooner had Anna left the stable, than Obadiah put his plan into motion to get back at the newly arrived Captain Pendleton, knowing he had to get it done before the Colonel inspected his bags. He went back to the spot where he'd hidden his loot and brought out the jewellery inside its velvet drawstring bag, but decided to keep the money. After covering the rest of the plunder up again, he hurried back over to the Colonel's house, being careful to stay in the shadows, out of sight.

As he got close to the house, he observed Pendleton greeting who had to be the Colonel and his wife. Obadiah grinned evilly when he saw the foppish officer leave his valise sitting on a chair near the door before following the Colonel inside the house, where they would find that they'd been robbed in very short order.

It was going to be so easy to frame this stupid bugger, Obadiah thought gleefully to himself. All he had to do was stuff the bag into the Captain's valise with the string hanging out, so it would be immediately noticed. It never failed to amaze him at how stupid most people were.

Once the officers had disappeared inside, Hakeswill glanced around to make sure no one was looking, then crept up to the valise, where he stuffed the jewel bag inside, not closing it back completely. He heard his men on the side of the house, still working to clear some rubble out of the yard. Obadiah stationed himself where he could watch both his men and the front door at the same time.

A moment later, as soon as he'd noticed Hakeswill appear, Grimsby walked over to report to the sergeant. "The men are nearly done here, Sergeant."

"Bring a couple of them lazy buggers around front to make sure they got everything there," Hakeswill ordered, his face twitching slightly. "Have the rest keep on workin' where they're at."

Hakeswill needed a reason to be hanging around the front of the Colonel's home in case the Colonel required a bit of help in noticing the jewellery in Pendleton's valise. The sergeant reasoned that having his men working there provided the perfect excuse.

After the men were in place a moment later, Obadiah casually leaned against a tree, keeping an ear tuned for the inevitable shouts of protest when the Colonel discovered the theft.

It didn't take long. Within minutes, Hakeswill heard indignant shouting coming from the still-open window of the Colonel's bedroom. He grinned tightly to himself as he waited for the fun to begin.

Very shortly thereafter, all the servants had been herded out the front door to be searched.

Colonel Gore spotted the scrawny sergeant standing by the tree and called out, "You there! Sergeant!"

"Sir!" Hakeswill replied, standing rigidly at attention.

"Who are you?" Gore asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, at your service, sir!" he replied crisply, "I'm supervising a work detail cleaning your yard, sir!" Obadiah indicated the men working nearby with a wave of the hand.

"Have you seen anyone unauthorized enter the house recently, Sergeant Hakeswill?" the Colonel asked, as the servants lined up in a row.

"Just servants, sir!" Hakeswill replied with a sight twitch.

"I need you to come help me search the servants," Gore ordered briskly. "There's been a robbery."

"Right away, sir!" Hakeswill barked, moving toward the officer. As he neared the chair on which the valise still sat, he pretended to stumble, then purposefully turned over the chair, dumping the open valise onto the ground. As he'd expected, the bag tumbled out, spilling rings, necklaces, and bracelets everywhere.

Colonel Gore looked down in stunned disbelief for a long moment at seeing his wife's jewellery strewn in the dust. He angrily snatched up the leather valise and demanded, "Who does this belong to?"

Captain Pendleton, who had been searching servants while the Colonel had spoken with Hakeswill, looked up in surprise at Gore's irate voice.

"That's mine, sir," he said, puzzled, not yet having noticed the stolen jewellery on the ground. Following his superior officer's gaze, he saw the scattered jewellery and stammered, "I never saw that before in my life. I don't know how it got there!"

"A likely story!" Colonel Gore snapped, not believing a word. "Have you no shame, man? Or any decency? Imagine, blaming these poor servants for your own crime. It's a good thing that the sergeant here was so clumsy or I might have ended up hanging an innocent man!"

Turning to Hakeswill, he ordered, "Sergeant, take this man to the stockade until I can send him back to England. As of this moment, he is stripped of his commission and all the privileges attendant upon that rank."

Hakeswill, who had witnessed the exchange with barely contained mirth, snapped to attention. "Right away, sir!"

He gestured to two privates, who quickly bound Pendleton's wrists together. Grabbing the utterly confused man, who still had not registered what had just happened to him, Hakeswill growled, "Move along, you bleedin' sod."

Pendleton glanced back at Gore, who was gathering up the jewellery, then back at Hakeswill and said, "You can't speak to me that way, Sergeant! I'm an officer!"

"He ain't goin' to help you, you filthy son of a whore," Hakeswill shot back, twitching briefly, "Clean out your bloody ears! The Colonel told you that you ain't an officer no more. So that means I don't have to lick your arse, I don't. If you don't walk, all nice and quiet-like, I'll have these two boys here drag you. Your choice. It don't matter none to me either way,"

Knowing there was nothing for it, Pendleton reluctantly allowed the two privates to lead him away.

The twitching, rawboned sergeant walked alongside, glaring at him with gleeful scorn, as if he'd been personally affronted.

"Getting above yourself, you were," Hakeswill jeered as the group walked down the dusty street. "Now you've been cut down to size and shown your proper place, you have, you friggin' fop." Cackling contentedly, he continued, "You're just lucky the punishment weren't up to me. I'd have strung you up in a tree and left you there until the birds pecked your eyes out."

Pendleton remained silent, knowing that any response would simply egg the garrulous sergeant on.

Several minutes later, Hakeswill marched his prisoner down several damp, mouldy steps to the same dungeon where he'd been held with Sharpe a few months before. Just before entering the dungeon, Hakeswill stopped and said, "I needs to search you before you go in there." Before Pendleton could protest, he ran his hands through the other man's pockets, coming up with several coins, most of which he stuck in his own pockets after giving the privates each a coin to ensure they'd keep their mouths shut. "You won't been needin' no money where you're going."

"Tate, I've got you a good 'un," Hakeswill called out to the burly sergeant on duty a moment later. "This one here was an officer, he was, at least until a few minutes ago."

Sergeant Tate gave the hapless Pendleton a predatory stare as he took the erstwhile officer from Hakeswill's men, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"You going to bust him, ain't you?" Hakeswill asked. "I think this one needs bustin' bad."

"I'm going to take real good care of him, don't you worry none," Tate said, his eyes now gleaming. "Much obliged to you, Hakeswill."

"I aims to please," the smaller sergeant said, chortling with satisfaction as he turned to leave.

Obadiah was in a fine mood as he left the stockade, pleased that it had been so simple to get rid of Captain Pendleton. He'd lost quite a bit of potential profit in letting the Colonel recover the jewels, but he considered it well worth it for Anna's sake. Obadiah's mother had taken care of him as best as she could when he was little, and now he would do the same for Anna. And besides, he could always go back and steal the jewellery again at some point after the incident had faded into the past.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later that afternoon, Major Stokes came home early to have tea with his wife before dinner, as he did on most days. As the couple settled themselves on the sofa in the front room with the teapot, Anna was in the hallway with a dust rag, attempting to look busy as she eavesdropped on their conversation. She'd been largely isolated from much of the English population since living with the Stokeses, so this was the only way she ever found out any news.

Most of the time she didn't hear anything of interest, having to endure tales about the Major's bunions, Mrs Stokes' laments about the beastly Indian weather, and other similarly banal fare. And, at first it seemed as if today would prove to be more of the same mundane trivia. But just as she was about to give up and go feed Joseph, she heard something that made her stop dead in her tracks.

"The oddest thing happened today that you'll never guess," Major Stokes said to his wife.

"Just tell me, then, if I'll never guess it," Mrs Stokes said, sighing dramatically. "Dinner will be ready soon, you know."

Stokes chuckled indulgently, then said, "Well, it seems that no sooner than Colonel Gore and his wife arrived at their new home than he arrested his adjutant, a Captain Pendleton, who had come ahead to make sure his quarters were ready."

"Whatever for?" she asked.

"It seems that while this Captain Pendleton was waiting for Colonel Gore to arrive, he kept busy by robbing the Colonel's baggage that he'd brought ahead with him," Stokes said. "And then he tried to blame the theft on the servants who were cleaning the house."

"You don't say!" she said. "How in the world did he get caught?"

"Entirely by accident, my dear," Stokes reported. "The Colonel called to a sergeant who was supervising a nearby work detail to come help search the servants. The sergeant tripped and knocked over the captain's valise, which then spilled out the jewellery in question, right in front of the Colonel."

Anna froze when she heard the word "sergeant", straining to hear more. She knew instinctively that the sergeant in question just had to be Obadiah. And she knew it was no accident - he must have set the captain up. At the realization of what he'd done for her, tears came to her eyes. No one had ever before gone to so much trouble in her behalf - and Obadiah had risked being blamed for the theft himself to do this.

Listening again, she heard Mrs Stokes ask, "What did they do with the captain?"

"The colonel immediately cancelled his commission and had him put in the stockade until he can be sent back to England in disgrace," Stokes said.

"Serves him right," Mrs Stokes sniffed. "The colonel certainly can't have an adjutant who steals from him, now, can he?"

Anna had heard enough of the story, so she left the corridor to go feed Joseph. As she passed the doorway to the front room, Mrs Stokes spied her as she appeared in the doorway.

"Anna!" the older woman called out, her tone haughty. "Come in here, please. I need a word with you."

"Yes, Mrs Stokes?" Anna asked, trying not to let her exasperation show.

"When I sent you over to Colonel Gore's home with the food, did you happen to meet a Captain Pendleton?" Mrs Stokes asked.

"Yes, Mrs Stokes," Anna confirmed. "The Colonel had not arrived yet when I went by there, so the captain took the food from me."

"He probably even ate that himself," Major Stokes quipped, chuckling.

"How did he seem to you?" Mrs Stokes asked,

"Seem?" Anna knew she had to play dumb, so the couple would not realize she'd been eavesdropping.

"How was he acting?" the other woman elaborated impatiently. "How was his manner? Did he seem like a normal officer to you?"

Anna pretended to think a moment, then said, "Well, he did seem terribly nervous to me, He was rather jumpy and kept looking around as if he thought someone was watching him. He was rather odd, now that you mention it."

"There, you see?" Major Stokes said triumphantly. "He'd probably already made the theft before Anna got there."

"Theft?" Anna repeated, trying to sound puzzled. It was important to do all she could to make sure that no suspicion fell on Obadiah.

"It seems as if Pendleton rifled the colonel's baggage before the colonel arrived and took all his wife's jewellery," the major told her. "Hard to figure why someone from as good of a family as he is would resort to common thievery."

"I could not say," Mrs Stokes said, as she waved Anna away to go about her business.

Anna left to go feed Joseph in her room, glad to be away from the Stokeses. As she picked him up from his sleeping basket, he was fretful and she noticed he had a slight fever and watery eyes, The young woman sighed in concern as she put him to her breast. The poor babe had never been entirely healthy any time during his short life and Anna hoped that he would one day outgrow his tendency to sickliness.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As Obadiah Hakeswill headed back toward the tent encampment after dropping off Pendleton, he had to pass by army headquarters. Not long after passing the building, he met Colonel Gore coming from the other direction.

Hakeswill drew himself up to his full height and snapped off a crisp salute to his superior officer as he came near. Obadiah knew it was essential to get any new officers on his side quickly before malcontents like Richard Sharpe could sour such officers against him. He'd been in the army for nearly eighteen years now, joining as a drummer boy soon after he'd had to run away from home. And this tactic had allowed him to be quickly promoted to sergeant and to maintain that rank despite his overwhelming unpopularity with the men in the ranks.

"Sergeant…Hakeswill, isn't it?" Colonel Gore said, stopping to speak to him. He noticed the sergeant's facial twitch and the ugly scar that ringed his neck and wondered to himself what the poor man had been through.

"Yes, sir!" Hakeswill replied smartly.

"I want to thank you for helping me find the person who robbed me today," Gore said. "Without your help, I'd have punished the wrong man."

"Just doing my duty, sir!" Hakeswill replied.

"Nevertheless, I am glad to have men such as you under my command, Hakeswill," Gore insisted.

"Thank you, sir!" he said, laughing inwardly. It was so easy to gull these pompous officers into believing anything he wanted them to believe of him. After eighteen years in the army, Obadiah had thoroughly learned how to work the system to his own benefit.

Two hours later, Obadiah took his supper back to his tent. He was tired and wanted to turn in early, as he knew there was a long day of work ahead in the morning. Hakeswill hoped that he'd soon be able to slip away to the stable tomorrow and get to spend some time with Anna.

No sooner had he finished his meal, than a knock came at his tent pole. Wondering who it might be, he pulled the flap aside to see a nervous-looking Abigail Miller standing there.

"I've come to pay your price - again," she said miserably, her head down and visibly shuddering at the prospect of what was about to happen.

It had completely slipped Hakeswill's mind that he'd ordered Miller to send his wife to his tent, ever since clearing up the misunderstanding about Pendleton with Anna that afternoon. And despite not feeling terribly aroused at this particular moment, Obadiah was still never one to pass up any opportunity when it came his way. And he'd never relent about something like this once he'd made the demand, as he didn't want the men to think he was going soft.

"Come in then, missy," he rumbled, pulling the tent flap wider to allow her to enter. "Lift your skirts up ever so high, then lay yourself down so's Obadiah can have his scratching." He let the flap fall closed, then turned to take what had been so reluctantly offered to him.


	6. Comforting Intimacy

Obadiah Hakeswill's good mood mostly remained for the next couple of weeks; he was in love for the first time in his life.

His men were puzzled and apprehensive, as they'd never known Hakeswill to remain in a good humour for this length of time. Always before when he'd been in one of his rare, brief good moods, it eventually boded ill for the men because it indicated that he had some sort of a scheme going.

The longer his good mood went on, the more unsettled the men became, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. At least when Hakeswill was a bastard, they knew pretty much what to expect out of him. Now, he was unpredictable and they had no idea what he would do next. Though by no means had he suddenly become warm and approachable to his men, he'd not set any of them up for a flogging in all that length of time, nor had he coerced any of the wives to have sex with him.

They all wondered what he was up to, as he'd taken to disappearing regularly for hours at a time. On one such afternoon, when a group of privates noticed him slinking out of camp, Private Miller said, "There he goes again! I wonder where he's going this time?"

"Why don't you just follow the miserable bastard and find out if you're that curious?" Private Taylor shot back, yawning. "But don't say I didn't warn you when he catches you following him and gives you hell about it. Personally, I'd just as rather leave well enough alone."

"I think I will see what he's up to," Miller said, getting up to tail the rawboned sergeant. The young man moved quickly, but he almost lost the wily Hakeswill, who moved through the streets as slippery as a snake would. The private sighed as he saw the Hakeswill slip into a local brothel that catered to sergeants and low ranking officers.

Nothing unusual there - the randy sergeant was all about getting his carnal needs attended to. Miller was just glad that Hakeswill had stopped coercing Abigail into taking care of those needs, but did not hold out much hope that he'd leave her alone for good.

As he returned to camp a short time later, Taylor was sitting outside cleaning his musket. "Well? Did you find out where that poxy bugger went?

"Oh, he just went looking for a humping," Miller reported slowly. "I saw him go into a brothel."

"No big surprise there" Taylor said, shrugging. "Although I wonder why he's not getting it for free here in camp like he normally does."

"Who knows?" Miller said. "Just as long as he leaves my Abigail alone, I don't care what Hakeswill does.

During these weeks, Obadiah had only been able to visit Anna a few, brief times, as he and his men had been on the rotation to patrol the nearby roads, keeping them free of bandits. He'd done well with robbing the bandits they did apprehend, but this plunder was stuff he didn't have to hide from the men. The men had participated as well because it was from bandits, thus allowable.

Because the patrols took them from Seringapatam for most of the day, which meant they'd generally arrived back late in the evenings, he'd had few opportunities to seek out Anna. She knew of the change in his duties, so he knew that she'd not worry about his infrequent appearances.

Obadiah did not speak of his budding relationship with Anna to anyone, as it was his private happiness that he didn't care to share, for fear he'd lose it if he did. Though Hakeswill had men whom he counted as allies in the army, there were none whom he could actually call a friend that he could entirely trust. These were the men whom he could count on to assist in his schemes or to at least look the other way when Obadiah was engaged in one. But it was always for a price; there always had to be some benefit for them in order to keep them as allies. Much more common than allies were the men who feared him and others who hated him, whom he was determined to shield Anna from. No one had loved Obadiah since his mother had died, nor had he loved anyone but her, and he knew his mother would be happy for him now, if she could know.

He was eager for the time when he would make Anna completely his, but Obadiah had been unusually patient about making this happen. Anna was a real lady, so he was determined not to take her cheaply like he'd done with every other women he'd ever been with. Because he had readily available outlets to give him relief when necessary, he could wait until he felt the time was right, a time he knew was soon approaching.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Anna Perkins had not had much time to miss Obadiah since he'd been on patrol duty. With every passing day, her role in the Stokes household was more like than of a servant and less like that of a guest. When the couple had first taken her in, it had been agreed that in exchange for her room and board, that she would act as Mrs Stokes' companion. That hadn't last very long, as Mrs Stokes had not really wanted a companion in the first place.

On one sultry morning nearly two weeks after the Pendleton incident, Anna sat outside under an awning with a basket of mending. Joseph was in his basket beside her, well protected by the shade. He'd been fussy and feverish all day, so Anna had wanted to keep a close watch on him. Fortunately, Mrs Stokes had wanted her to do needlework today, so she'd been able to keep Joseph by her side all morning.

When Joseph finally was able to nap, Anna smiled to herself as she worked, daydreaming about her developing relationship with Obadiah, hoping she could one day stop living with the Stokeses to go live with him. But this was something that could only happen after Joseph got better. She fantasized about one day having more children as she absent-mindedly darned one of Major Stokes' socks, so she did not notice the tall blond soldier who came through the gate until he was right in front of her.

It wasn't until a new shadow fell over her hands that she looked up from her work to see Sergeant Richard Sharpe looking down at her expectantly. Though he was quite a handsome man, she frowned at him as she remembered the things Obadiah had said about him; that he was arrogant and ungrateful, with an over inflated estimation of his own importance.

"I'm Sergeant Sharpe," he said, not even bothering to look at her. "I'm wondering if you could tell me where I could find Madhu?"

Madhu was a young Indian woman who had been orphaned as a teen and now worked in the Stokes kitchen.

"I know who you are Sergeant Sharpe," Anna said coldly, staring balefully at him. "I imagine you'll find her in the kitchen, as that is where she works." Turning back to her needlework, she said sourly, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do."

Sharpe was nonplussed by Anna's attitude toward him. He'd always been able to easily charm most women, so he was baffled by this unpleasant looking young woman. Sharpe figured she was just a bitter old maid, until he briefly caught a glance of the sleeping baby in the basket beside her. He then realized she had to be the woman he'd heard gossip about: Captain Perkins' daughter, who'd had a baby out of wedlock by a sepoy. No wonder she was bitter, Sharpe thought as he headed toward the kitchen to find the latest young woman he'd been keeping company with.

Anna stared daggers at Sharpe's back as he made his way over to the kitchen, before returning her attention to her work. If not for the fact that Joseph was sleeping peacefully, she would have taken her work and gone inside, just to remove herself from the objectionable presence of Richard Sharpe.

Several hours later, Anna decided to go to bed early. Her neck and shoulders ached from being hunched over mending all day long. Joseph had remained listless and had not been able to retain any milk. After getting him to take a little milk, she rocked him in her arms for a long time, softly singing lullabies to him, which always soothed him.

Holding him close and rubbing his back, she murmured, "Mama loves you, little one. I wish I knew what to do to help you feel better."

Joseph turned his trusting brown eyes up to Anna's face as she continued to talk softly to him, and gave an almost imperceptible sigh.

Mother and son sat together like this on the side of Anna's bed until her eyelids became heavy and she knew they both needed to get some sleep. She gently laid Joseph down in his basket, giving him a final kiss on his forehead. She then gratefully reclined beside him on her bed, her hand dangling down occasionally to brush his cheek. Within moments, she'd fallen into a deep sleep.

It was mid-morning before Anna awakened the next day. She was usually awakened each morning by Joseph's cries, but as the cobwebs of sleep slowly cleared from her head, all was strangely quiet.

Wondering why he hadn't cried, she leaned over to touch him and found his little body stiff and cold. Not quite registering what had happened, she picked him up and cried, "Joseph?"

When the baby did not begin to move and she could detect no breath from his nostrils, she clutched him tighter and wailed, "Joseph! My baby! My baby! Oh, my poor baby! Oh, dear God, why did you take my baby from me?" As she continued to wail in anguish, and rock him back and forth, hurried steps came from the other room.

The door was yanked open by Mrs Stokes, who was about to give Anna a piece of her mind for making so much noise, when the older woman saw Joseph and realized what had happened. Some of the Indian servants had come up behind her and they all stood helplessly by as Anna continued to loudly mourn the loss of her only child.

After several agonizing minutes, Anna's wails subsided into hiccuping sobs, though she continued to hold the little body close to her.

"Anna," Mrs Stokes said in an uncharacteristically gentle tone a few minutes later. "Why don't you let the girls take Joseph and prepare him for burial."

Privately, the older woman thought the baby's death was the best thing that could have happened for Anna, but knew that now wasn't the time to mention it. She would have the opportunity later.

The young woman did not respond for the longest time, not wanting to let her little son go, but she eventually relented and handed him over to the young Indian woman who had watched him for her the other day when she'd visited the Colonel's home.

As soon as they'd left, Anna knew she had to get away, because she could almost feel the walls closing in on her. She had to see Obadiah - no one else would be able to console her. She hastily put on a fresh shift, then a light gown over that without bothering to put on stays. Unnoticed, she slipped out the back way and hurried to the stable.

The stable was empty when Anna arrived, but she went to sit in her usual spot, anyway. The stable, in and of itself, provided some comfort to the grieving woman, and if she waited for awhile, Obadiah might turn up.

She sat, in nearly catatonic shock, for what seemed like hours, not quite able to process the fact that her son had died. He'd seemed no worse than usual when they'd gone to sleep the night before, and she couldn't understand why it had happened.

When Obadiah never did appear, she eventually got up and returned numbly to the Stokes home, wanting to say one last goodbye to her baby boy before he would be buried.

As soon as she entered the back courtyard of the Stokes home, she noticed the gardener tamping down the dirt on a recently filled hole under a shade tree near the back brick fence. Anna's heart leaped in her throat - they'd gone and buried Joseph without her getting to hold him one more time!

The tears started anew as she threw herself down in front of the mound of dirt and began to rock back and forth as her fists struck the dirt over and over.

Mrs Stokes appeared behind her within minutes, alerted by the wailing.

"Why did you bury my baby without me being here?" Anna demanded, sniffling loudly. "I didn't get to hold him one last time."

"We had to do it," Mrs Stokes explained with uncharacteristic patience. "We couldn't find you and the day was getting hotter…" Her voice trailed off at the obvious implication.

Anna nodded miserably. "I didn't think I'd been gone all that long. I just had to get away for a little while."

"You were gone for over two hours," the other woman told her. "Where did you go, anyway?"

"I just walked all over until I wore myself out," she lied, not wanting to reveal the location of her secret haven. "I must have lost track of the time,"

"Apparently," Mrs Stokes said, turning to go back inside.

A few minutes later, one of the Indian servants came out of the kitchen carrying some food in a basket for Anna. She and the other servants had seen the desolate young Englishwoman still sitting on the ground by her son's grave and took pity on her.

"Please, miss, you must eat," the servant said, extending the basket.

"I'm not really hungry," she said. "But I suppose I must eat something. Thank you."

Anna picked at the food for a few minutes but did not eat much; she was too upset for that. After a few minutes, she set the basket aside, then decided to go back to the stable. It was getting later in the day, closer to the time of day when she'd normally encounter Obadiah there.

Getting up, she went into her room briefly, where she snatched up Joseph's favourite blanket to take along with her. It smelled faintly of his baby scent and it was something tangible of his for her to hold on to.

No one was around when she re-entered the courtyard, so Anna stole silently into the alley then walked purposefully to the stable.

As before, the stable was empty when she entered but she was glad of its peace and quiet, just the same. Anna was still in shock about the suddenness of Joseph's death and sat against the stall wall with an aching heart and a lump in her throat, as tears rolled down her face. She'd never felt so alone in all her life.

This was how Obadiah Hakeswill found her an hour and a half later. He and his men had come in early from their patrol that afternoon, because Obadiah hadn't had the chance to see Anna in several days and he'd missed her. It was an odd feeling for him to miss another person, as he'd been accustomed to shifting for himself for so many years without depending on anyone for anything.

He heard Anna's sniffling as he opened the door to the stable, wondering what the problem was this time. He knew that living with Major Stokes and his wife had been a trial for Anna and that the only reason she stayed was because it was at least better than living in the streets or ending up in a whorehouse. He had no doubt that Naig would have already abducted her had she not been under the protection of the Major. Anna might not be beautiful, but she was a white woman, something that British officers, far from home, especially craved.

But the look of anguish on Anna's face that greeted him as he entered her favourite stall went beyond anything he'd seen before from her. She was twisting one of Joseph's blankets between her hands, but the baby boy was not with her. The abject picture of misery she presented reminded Obadiah so much of his mother that his own heart ached as he beheld her.

"Oh, Obadiah!" was all she said, leaning toward him with her arms open as he settled himself beside her in the hay.

"What's wrong, Anna?" he rumbled as he took her into his embrace, reaching up one work-roughened thumb to brush the tears from her eye.

She could not answer for a long moment, but instead began to sob louder.

Feeling awkward, Obadiah simply rubbed her back as he waited for her to collect herself sufficiently to speak.

Swallowing hard, she pulled back slightly from him and moaned. "It's…it's…Joseph! I woke up this morning and he was d-dead!" She began another series of hiccuping sobs as she spoke aloud of her baby's fate. "My poor baby!"

"Bloody hell!" Hakeswill swore softly, his face twitching. He knew there was nothing worse for a mother than to lose her own child. He'd remembered his mother having had two miscarriages when he was a boy. Indeed, Obadiah was the only child she had that survived.

He tightened his arms around her as he turned his head slightly to kiss her cheek. "I'm here," he said lowly. "Let it all out."

Anna trembled as she continued to cry, but she nonetheless felt comforted in Obadiah's arms; he was a solid rock to cling to.

"H-he was fine when we went to bed last night," she eventually said. "He's always been sickly, but he didn't seem any worse than he normally was." Gulping again, she added, "But when I woke up this morning, he was gone. He never made a sound."

Neither of them spoke for several minutes as he continued to hold her in wordless comfort. When they drew back from one another, he noticed that the front of his uniform jacket was damp; surely, her tears hadn't trickled down that far. Looking down, he ran a finger over the dampness, puzzled. Glancing back up at Anna, he saw two wet patches on the bodice of her gown and suddenly understood what the problem was.

Her cheeks burning in mortification because he'd become aware of her predicament, she started to turn away, "Oh, I was hoping you'd not see that," she said.

"Nothin' to be ashamed of, missy," he assured her. "That sort of a thing happens to a woman, it does, when she loses her baby and has no other baby to feed. It's like what happens to a cow that someone forgets to milk, it is."

"It aches, too," Anna confided, tears still in her eyes. "It hurts as much as my heart does."

Still holding her hand, he said gruffly, "I can help you with that, Anna, you know."

"You mean…?" she said, feeling simultaneously shocked and touched that he'd ask to do such a thing.

"If you trusts me, that is," he told her, looking directly into her eyes. "'Cos I wouldn't do nothin' to hurt you, I won't." He leaned in to give her another kiss to reassure her.

After a moment's consideration, Anna said quietly, "I do trust you, Obadiah. In fact, there's no one else I'd trust enough to allow them to do this. She kissed him on the cheek, then took both his hands in her own. "All right, let's give it a try." Frowning in concentration for a moment, she asked, "How are we going to do this?"

Hakeswill leaned back against the stall wall to brace and support his back. "Come straddle me, missy, facing toward me, easy-like," he instructed.

Anna moved forward hesitantly to do as he said, blushing again.

Once she'd settled himself upon him as he'd told her, he murmured, with a slight twitch, "That's it. Lean forward just a little, so's I don't have to stretch my neck too much."

She paused a moment once she'd done as he asked, then shyly opened her bodice, exposing herself to him.

Obadiah leaned forward to capture one of her aching nipples in his mouth and went to work, his arms going around her. Anna felt much relief as he continued his ministrations, switching sides from time to time.

The young woman looked down to find his eyes fixed intently on hers. As she reached out one hand to tenderly stroke his bald head and bony cheeks, he occasionally closed his eyes for a moment with an almost inaudible groan. A moment later, Anna suddenly noticed that he'd hardened beneath her bottom, belatedly realizing that this aroused him. She shifted position a little which elicited a clearly audible groan this time and answering shift in his own position., Shivering slightly, she felt her own desire rise.

"Oh, Obadiah!" she murmured breathlessly "Please, I need you. Now, oh, now, don't make me wait."

"I aims to please," he rumbled, his voice thick with desire, as he released her nipple and rolled her onto her back to fulfill their mutual need.

His face twitched briefly and his hands trembled slightly as he lifted her skirts, about to have sex for the first time with a woman who wanted him, who'd actually asked him to do her, Anna needed him, he marvelled to himself, his eyes moistening at the realization.

Afterwards, as they snuggled close together, Anna rolled over to rest her head on his chest. "I love you, Obadiah," she said simply, saying it all. As if to prove her point, she bent her head to his scarred neck, kissing every inch of the angry purple mark.

Obadiah twitched briefly, never thinking he'd ever hear those words directed at him. Swallowing hard, as she continued to nuzzle the scar, he replied, "And I loves you, Anna. Never thought I'd say the words to a woman, I didn't. But now I have and I loves you, I do."


	7. Obadiah's Idea

Now that Obadiah and Anna had finally been intimate, they grabbed every opportunity to be together, as if making up for lost time. His men continued to alternate between uneasiness and relief as he spent even more time than ever away from camp. Obadiah knew he was keeping the men off balance, which suited him fine. He knew that the more off balance they were, the easier they were to control, which was just the way he liked it.

As for Anna Perkins, she had been allowed just two days to grieve Joseph's death, before Mrs Stokes returned to her previously brusque self

On that second morning, Mary Stokes called out imperiously to Anna as she left her room to go to the kitchen for her breakfast.

"Anna," the older woman said. "I need to have a word with you. There are a few things we need to go over. Please sit down."

After the young woman had obeyed, Mrs Stokes continued, "Since your baby died, Major Stokes and I have had a discussion as to your changed circumstances, I'll admit I wanted to put you out because, after all, you are a grown woman. We'd originally taken you in for the baby's sake, since he was an innocent child and was not responsible for your sin. It was my view that because there no longer is a baby, that our hospitality to you should be at an end."

Anna was so stunned that she could not speak. It never had occurred to her that the Stokeses might evict her now that Joseph had died.

Oblivious to Anna's reaction, the woman droned on, "Fortunately for you, however, Major Stokes did not agree with me. He believes that you would continue to benefit from our influence in that you may turn from a life of sin. He also believes that if you were put out, you would end up employed in a house of ill repute. The Major thinks that perhaps one day you might be suitably be rehabilitated enough to find a husband, even as plain as you are."

'I had to concede the point, as the death of your baby can be viewed as a fortuitous event in that you no longer have a living reminder of your sin," Mrs Stokes continued in an unctuous tone. "I believe that, with sufficient passage of time, you might meet a suitable officer who will be unaware of your shameful past. Perhaps, even, an older officer, close to retirement might be willing to overlook your shortcomings in favour of your energy and youth."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Anna said, revolted by Mrs Stokes' suggestion that Joseph's death could in any way be a good thing. She jumped up from her chair to run back to her room for the chamber pot.

"I haven't excused you!" Mrs Stokes said. "We still have more to discuss!"

Anna paid her no attention, as she wasn't about to vomit on the floor if she could help it because she knew that the woman would make her clean it up herself. She reluctantly returned to her seat after emptying the contents of her stomach into the pot.

"As I was saying just before you so rudely ran off," Mary Stokes continued, "You will still be expected to earn your keep by doing household chores and attending all Bible studies. I will not tolerate you spending your time in idleness."

"I don't intend to be idle," Anna assured her.

"Wonderful!" Mrs Stokes replied. "In that instance, I need you to go to the vegetable market right away, to save the cook from having to send one of her girls."

"Yes, Mrs Stokes," Anna replied dutifully. She actually did not mind this chore as it got her away from the house for a little bit and gave her some time to herself. And if she got her shopping done quickly, she might have time to go to the stable for a little while, too.

When Anna arrived at the market, a short time later, she was indeed able to complete her shopping fairly quickly, as there were relatively few customers there at the time. As she turned to head toward the stable, she hoped that Obadiah might turn up there. He and his men had rotated back into town duty, which made it more likely for him to appear at any time during the day.

Anna had not gone more than two steps when she ran headlong into another person. She'd not been properly looking where she was going, because she'd been looking inside her basket to make sure everything was there.

The cologne scent on the man's red uniform jacket was very familiar and as she moved back and looked up, she wasn't surprised to see her father glaring down at her.

"F-father!" Anne managed to say. She had not seen her father since the day he'd thrown her out of the house.

"Major Stokes tells me that your heathen bastard died," Captain Horace Perkins said coldly. "It's for the best, I would say, considering that it would not have fit in anywhere had it lived to grow up."

"My son was a _he_, Father, not an _it_," Anna shot back, her voice equally frigid. "And I loved him dearly. It is your loss for never coming by to see your grandson."

"You are so naïve," her father sneered. "Don't you see? Now that you don't have that child as a millstone around your neck announcing your indiscretions to all and sundry, you finally have half a chance at finding a proper Englishman to marry - at least one with poor vision who does not have a highly developed sense of taste. You might end up having to settle for a ranker, but that's a vast improvement over a sepoy."

Not waiting for her response, he hastily added, "But don't think that you're off the hook with me, as I have no intention of allowing you to return to my quarters. I will make sure you have return passage to England when I return home, but until such time you're very lucky that Major Stokes and his wife are good Christian people."

With that, he spun on his heel and stalked off, leaving Anna crushed and speechless in his wake.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Obadiah Hakeswill and a small hand-picked group of his men had been charged with guarding a shipment of ammunition. They'd taken it over on the outskirts of Seringapatam, to bring it the rest of the way to the armoury.

As the shipment changed hands, the soldiers who had accompanied it to Seringapatam took out several crates and loaded them on mules they'd brought along for just that purpose. Hakeswill and his cronies looked on, waiting.

Once they were done, Hakeswill went over to the sergeant in charge with his hand out. "Pay up, Hawkins. Half to me, and the other half to be divided equally among my six men."

"Be patient, Hakeswill," Sergeant Hawkins said, laughing in mock irritation. "I know how to split the money considering how many times we've done this."

"I just wants to make sure you don't forget," Hakeswill replied, twitching. "I'm sure you wants us to keep our mouths shut about you fiddling with the shipment, you do."

"Have I ever before?" Hawkins said. He handed the scrawny sergeant a bag of coins. "Check and make sure it's all there - the same amount as last time.'

"It's all there, it is," Hakeswill confirmed a short time later. He reached inside the bag and doled out the proper amount to his men to insure their silence about the stolen ammunition.

"Good doing business with you, Hakeswill," Hawkins said as he turned to leave. "See you next month."

Sergeant Richard Sharpe was waiting at the armoury to accept the munitions shipment when Hakeswill and his men arrived with the wagon, with one of Hakeswill's privates driving it.

Hakeswill handed Sharpe the manifest, waiting for him to sign for the ammunition. "There's your ammunition, Sharpie."

Sharpe ignored Hakeswill as he stepped into the wagon to count the crates. "There's six crates missing, Obadiah, What did you do with them?"

"Don't look at me, Sharpie," Hakeswill said, twitching. "I ain't got them in my breeches, I don't." Pointing at the manifest, he said, "Open up your eyes and look at the bleedin' manifest and read what Sergeant Hawkins wrote there." Cackling scornfully, he added, "Oh I forgot! You're a stupid bugger who can barely read, you are. It wasn't but a few months ago when you was just learnin' how to scratch 'cat' in the dirt."

The bony sergeant grabbed the manifest from Sharpe and pointed at the note Hawkins had scribbled on the paper: _Less six boxes. Sgt. M Hawkins._

Hakeswill didn't wait for Sharpe to reply, but turned and walked away, after telling his men to take the rest of the afternoon off. It was nearly lunch time and he wanted to find Anna so they could eat together and have a bit of fun afterwards.

As the other sergeant walked off, Richard Sharpe just looked at him, shaking his head, knowing it would do no good to argue with Obadiah Hakeswill and, besides, he didn't care what Hakeswill thought of him.

Heading toward the open air market to get something for him and Anna to have for lunch, Obadiah turned the corner just in time to see Anna, a short distance away, in a heated confrontation with a man in his fifties. Hakeswill recognized the man as Captain Horace Perkins, Anna's father. He slipped behind a stone pillar to watch them, making sure that Anna would be all right. Within a minute, the captain turned away from her and stalked off in the opposite direction from where Obadiah stood waiting.

Anna stood in stunned shock for a moment before turning to head toward Obadiah, whom she'd not yet noticed, so engrossed was she with what had just happened.

As she walked by the stone pillar, Obadiah reached out and pulled her back behind it with him.

"Obadiah!" Anna jumped, completely startled, as his arm went around her to steady her. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I saw what happened between you and your father, I did," Hakeswill said in a low voice, twitching. "It didn't look like no happy occasion, either." Leaning his forehead against hers, he asked, "He didn't hurt you, did he? 'Cos I won't stand for that."

"Only my feelings," Anna said ruefully. "He'd heard about what happened to Joseph, and he just wanted to make sure that I understood that I still wasn't welcome in his home."

"Bleedin' sod," Hakeswill swore. He mentally put the man on his list of people to get back at when the proper opportunity presented itself.

Nudging Anna back against the stone pillar, he pressed himself close against her body, leaning down to nuzzle her neck. "Oh, Anna, I wants you so bad," he growled, his voice rough with lust. "I needs to have you again, I do."

Feeling the truth of his words hard against her," she murmured. "And I need you, too, Obadiah, but not here. Someone might see us."

"Come to the stable with me, right now," he urged, twitching briefly. "Wait right here while I get us something to eat. It won't take me but a minute."

"All right," she said, smiling.

As he hurried off to get the food, Anna thought of Mrs Stokes waiting at home for the vegetables. Tossing her head, she decided that she just didn't care; being with Obadiah right now was much more important. To hell with the woman's vegetables, to hell with her lunch, and to hell with her, for that matter.

But a moment later, one of the kitchen girls from the Stokes' kitchen walked by and Anna stepped in front of her,

"Lakshmi, can you take these vegetables back to the Stokeses?" Anna asked. "There's something I need to do and I cant go back there right now."

The girl looked at her with confusion, but eventually said, "All right, I will do this for you."

"Thank you ever so much," Anna said, smiling. "If Mrs Stokes asks where I am, please just tell her that I am indisposed and had to lie down with a headache."

"Yes, yes, I will do that for you as well," the younger woman said, smiling broadly.

The Indian woman moved off, but turned to see Obadiah Hakeswill returning to Anna and the two of them hurrying off toward the stable. She did not recognize the bald, rawboned soldier, but she did recognize that he was a sergeant. Planning to say nothing about what she'd seen at the present time, she filed it away for further reference.

No sooner had Obadiah and Anna entered the stable a short time later, than he quickly put the haversack full of food down in the corner. Laying out the blanket that he now kept there for their assignations, he pulled Anna down with him to lie upon it, rumbling, "First things first. We can eat later. Right now, I needs to scratch my itch"

Laughing softly as he urgently pulled her skirt up, Anna murmured, "I knew you'd say that." She opened herself eagerly to him as he loomed over her on his hands and knees, pulling him down to her. No words were spoken for the next few minutes as their mutual lust for one another was slaked.

"I feels much better now, I do," Hakeswill said afterwards as he buttoned himself back up. "Content and relaxed-like, I am."

"I feel the same way," Anna concurred. "After I've been with you, it's like all my troubles have been swept away and all is right with the world."

"Let's eat us some lunch," Obadiah suggested. "All what we done just now gave me an appetite, it did."

Anna laughed merrily as he reached into his haversack and brought out some bread and cheese.

"So, what was you doing at the market today?" Hakeswill asked Anna a few minutes later as they were eating.

"Mrs Stokes sent me there to buy vegetables," Anna told him.

"That old battleax has plenty of Indian servants to do that kind of work," he declared, his face twitching. "It ain't fitting for an Englishwoman and a guest in her home to have to do such things, it ain't."

"Oh, she informed me this morning that now that Joseph is gone, she expects me to work for my room and board," she told him. "She even told me that if not for the Major's intervention, she would have put me out to fend for myself."

"Filthy whore," Obadiah spat. "Don't she know that you'd end up as part of Nasty Naig's harem if they did that?"

"It seems that Major Stokes pointed that out to her, which is why I haven't been told to leave," Anna said. "But what's worse is that they're both trying to find an old officer near retirement for me to marry; one that hasn't heard about Joseph or one who doesn't care, just so long as he gets a young wife."

"Over my dead body!" Obadiah said vehemently, his twitch more pronounced this time. "You're _my_ woman and I ain't going to let them auction you off to some decrepit old geezer like a prize heifer."

"I don't want that, either," Anna cried. "I want to be with a man I love, not sent off to be some old man's nursemaid. But my father made it quite clear that I am not welcome to move back in with him."

Taking her hand into both of his own, Obadiah said, "I don't want you with either of them. You belongs with me now, you do."

"You want me to come live in the army encampment with you?" Anna asked.

"No, I don't want you near any of them filthy buggers," he responded. "I can't trust them pox-ridden bastards to leaves you alone when I'm not there."

"But where, then?" she asked.

Hakeswill thought for a long moment, then snapped his fingers. "I've got it! How about right here in the stable? At least for a little while until I can finds us somewhere better. If Sharpie can have him private rooms away from the barracks, then so can Obadiah!"

He fell silent for a moment, thinking of ways he could raise some extra cash to be able to afford a couple of rooms for him and Anna. Selling off some of his plunder, plus a bit of blackmailing, and finding new sources of booty should do the trick, he figured.

Looking around the dilapidated stable dubiously, Anna said, "As much as I love meeting you here, Obadiah, the place is hardly fit for extended habitation, especially when the rainy season comes."

"I can get some of them heathen bastards that serves as_ puckalees_ to come help fix this place up a bit," he said. "If I give them some coins, they'll keep their mouths shut and won't tell no one what they've been doing, they won't, especially if they wants to avoid a thumping."

Standing up, he walked around the structure with an assessing eye. "The roof can be made solid, so's it can't rain in here," he pronounced. "Then we can sweep out the hay." Examining the stall walls, he added, "I can take down these stall walls here, and use the wood to build this other stall wall all the way up to the ceiling. I can use some wood from other stalls to make another wall here so's we can have a real bedroom and a front room. And then I'll scrounge up enough wood to make a wood floor, instead of dirt."

Warming up to the subject, he concluded, "I can makes it so's the door will lock and find us a bed and something to use for a table and chairs. There's lots of buggers who owes me, so I knows I can get it all together. I can make it work, I will."

Kissing him on the cheek, Anna said, "Yes, I think you can. You seem to have it all organized and worked out."

"I told you that sergeants run the army, I did," he said, puffing up under her praise. "And the secret to it all is organization."

"How long do you think it will take to get it ready for us to move in?" Anna asked.

"No more than a week or so, I'd expect," he judged. "A week from now should have us both sharing our own home together, we will."

"I can hardly wait," she said, leaning forward as he kissed her again.


	8. Preparations

Over the next several days, Obadiah Hakeswill devoted a significant amount of time and effort into getting the stable habitable enough for him and Anna to move in to.

Calling in favours from some, bribing others, and threatening a number of people, the wily sergeant managed to accumulate all the materials he'd need, plus some basic furniture, in less than a day. All of this was accomplished with very little stealing needing to be done on his part.

Now, the problem was getting some people to do the work, so it could be ready in a week's time. Obadiah was capable of doing the work himself, but it would take much longer than a week to finish if he did it alone, considering he still had his duties as sergeant to perform. And with what Anna had told him about the how the Stokeses were treating her, he wasn't willing to wait that long to get her out of there. The sooner Anna was under his protection, the better off he'd feel.

Normally, when he needed something done not pertaining to the army's business, he'd use the same hand-picked group of toadies he used in some of his schemes. He had enough dirt on the soldiers in question, that he could reasonably trust them to keep their mouths shut about it, knowing they'd get the same punishment or worse as he did if they reported him. This, plus a well-placed coin or two at some of the more dicey activities they'd engaged in made them quite useful to Hakeswill.

But this was different. Obadiah was determined to keep his relationship with Anna private for now and there was no foolproof way to ensure that even his toadies would keep their mouths shut indefinitely about Anna. He knew that Anna would mostly be safe if he brought her to the army encampment with him, considering how well he had most of the men intimidated, but he also knew there were some whose hatred of him might spill over onto Anna. The sergeant especially didn't want Richard Sharpe to know about Anna, since Obadiah figured that Sharpe would do nearly anything to get back at him.

The risk of using his own people wasn't worth it to Hakeswill. In his nearly eighteen years in the army, he'd made a few people disappear when they'd known too much and the usual methods of insuring silence had not worked, but Obadiah preferred to avoid doing that unless it was absolutely necessary. There was always the potential of getting caught, and where would Anna be if he were executed? For the first time in his life, he had someone to think about other than just himself.

So, that left him with using Indians to do the work. There were a number of them who travelled with the army doing menial labour, such as the _puckalees_, who carried water to the troops during battles, but did other work as needed. They tended to come from the dregs of Indian society and depended absolutely on the British army for their survival, so Hakeswill knew that with a few coins and some well-placed threats, he'd be able to ensure their silence. As an added precaution, he would keep Anna away from the stable while they were doing the work.

After having made arrangements for the supplies he needed, Hakeswill took a walk down to the hovels where the Indian camp followers stayed, not far from the army encampment. He walked up to a slight man about his own age who walked with a limp, who was the unofficial spokesman for the group.

"I needs you and some of your boys to come work for me, I do," he said brusquely, without preamble. "It should be about a week's worth of work. If you do a good job for me, I have some coins for you."

As some of the others gather around to listen, he warned, "But you have to keep quiet-like about it, if you wants the money. If you talks, this is what will happen, mark my words." With a twitch, Hakeswill ran his index finger across his neck to make clear the consequences of not keeping silent about it.

All of the camp followers had seen Hakeswill in action and knew he meant what he said. Still, the lure of getting a few coins was too good to pass up, so five men quickly volunteered to do the sergeant's bidding, promising to keep it a secret.

After beckoning the first young Indian to follow him, he said, "I needs you to come with me, so's I can show you what I wants done. After that, you'll come back here and get your boys to go get the supplies I have and bring them where you'll do the work."

A short time later, after Hakeswill had shown the other man the stable and pointed out where it needed repairs, he said, "I wants to have a bedroom with a window, and a front room. Front room needs a little window too, it does, to let light in. And I needs the stable door to be able to be locked from both sides. You needs to tear down some of these stalls to make room for a bedroom, see?"

"It will be no problem," the Indian assured him. "My men and I can do it in the time you need."

"You'd better, if you knows what's good for you," Hakeswill said sourly. "And you'd better do it right, too."

"It will be done as you say," the Indian assured him hastily, not wishing to anger the unpredictable sergeant.

After the two men parted ways a short time later back at the army camp, he encountered Sergeant Bill Norris as he entered the sergeant's mess.

"What are you up to with all those _puckalees_, Hakeswill?" Norris casually asked him as they got their food and sat down together. "I saw you go down there a little while ago, and just now I saw several of them going off in all different directions."

"Not that it's any of your business, Norris, but I decided I needs me my own quarters, I do," Hakeswill told his fellow sergeant. "If Sharpie can have his own rooms away from camp, then so can Obadiah. I've been a sergeant much longer than he has, and I deserves it, I do."

"What, are they going to build you a cabin?" Norris asked, raising one eyebrow at what he thought was a crazy notion.

"No, you stupid bugger," Hakeswill said, rolling his eyes, then twitching. "I found me a place that needs some work to make it fit to live in. Those lazy heathen sods all lay around mainly doing nothing when we're not in battle, so I thought I'd have them earn the food we gives them, for a change."

Norris just shrugged his shoulders, wondering what Hakeswill was really up to. It seemed odd to him that after several years as a sergeant that Obadiah Hakeswill would suddenly get the idea that he needed his own quarters. True, this was the first time that their unit had been garrisoned in a long while, but Norris suspected it had more to do with Hakeswill not being able to bear Sharpe having something he didn't have.

The men under Hakeswill's command had also noticed the continued change in the scrawny sergeant's routine and continued to speculate among themselves as to what kind of a scheme Hakeswill might be hatching.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Hakeswill's got himself a woman," Private Taylor said one night as the men sat around eating their suppers. "He's acting like he's in love."

"What woman in their right mind would ever want that twitching bastard, though, Taylor?" Private Miller asked. "And Hakeswill isn't capable of loving anyone. He's too much of a bastard for that."

"You have to admit, he's not been bothering your wife all that much lately," Taylor pointed out.

"That's true," Miller admitted. "But he's not stopped pestering her altogether. It can't be a woman. Like I said, I can't see any woman agreeing to be with him willingly."

"Perhaps it's a _bibbi_ wanting to get away from Naig," Taylor mused. "Although I can't see Hakeswill taking pity on any of those women, considering he brought many of them to Naig, himself." After a pause, he added, "Or maybe it's a woman who is as mad as he is, though I don't know of any that fit that description."

"I suppose we'll find out eventually, either way," Miller concluded. "And I can't complain about anything that keeps him away from camp more."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

During the same time, Anna kept busy as well. When not busy with the innumerable chores that Mrs Stokes kept her busy with, she spent whatever spare time she had making bed linens in preparation for moving into her own home with Obadiah. He'd given her the coins for the linen, plus she'd filched a few coins from Mrs Stokes' bag as well to get cloth to make curtains for the two windows that Obadiah had told her the converted stable would have.

One evening after it became too dark to sew any longer, Anna carefully folded up her work and put it under her bed, pushing it far against the wall, because she didn't want Mrs Stokes to see her preparations. She'd not seen Obadiah in several days, as he'd told her to stay away from the stable while the Indian workmen did the renovations.

Finding it terribly stuffy in her room, Anna stepped out into the back courtyard to get some fresh air and to stretch her legs. She felt restless and fretful, not just because of Mrs Stokes' increasing demands, but because she and Obadiah hadn't had the chance to be intimate in several days. It amazed Anna at how quickly she'd become accustomed to regular sex. As the sun disappeared below the horizon, she walked back and forth in the garden, hoping to work off some of her nervous energy before taking to her bed for the night.

Just as she was about to go back inside, she heard a rustling at the gate. Anna moved quickly into the shadows behind a tree, holding her breath, so whoever was coming in would not see her.

A moment later, a figure stepped out of the shadows, and Anna relaxed when she saw it was Obadiah.

"Here I am," she murmured, coming out from behind the tree to reveal herself. As the two of them stepped back into the shadows together, she whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"I was missin' you, so I decided to come spend the night with you, I have," Obadiah said in a low voice, twitching briefly. "Ain't you glad to see me?"

"More than you can know," she assured him wrapped her arms around him. "I've been most unsettled in the last few days."

He gave her a lopsided grin, amused at her ladylike way of telling him she needed a rogering. Taking her hand, he rumbled, "Come along then, missy. Obadiah needs his scratching."

"Let me go inside first, to make sure that no one is about," she warned. "Mrs Stokes shouldn't be in the back of the house at this hour, but I want to make sure."

"All right," Hakeswill said, waiting right outside the back door as she slipped inside. "Don't be long."

Less than a minute later, Anna reappeared, motioning him inside, "Right this way," she murmured, indicating an open door off to the left.

Anna closed the door tightly after they were both inside, then moved to light a candle, which was on the room's one table near the small window. Taking his hand, she led him to her narrow bed, where they both sat side by side. "I'm sorry the bed is so small," she apologised. "It will be a tight fit, I'm afraid."

"That it will be," he agreed, chuckling at the double entendre. "It's no bother, missy. I likes to hold you close, I do."

"As do I with you," she murmured, as he leaned over to give her a kiss.

Anna sat there somewhat hesitant after they broke the kiss, knowing that this would be the first time they'd lie together unclothed. She'd only been with Joseph's father the one time, so this would be the first time, she'd be naked with a man.

She watched dumbly as Obadiah quickly and unselfconsciously stripped himself, starting with his jacket. So intent was he that he didn't notice that Anna hadn't moved until he wore nothing but his shirt.

"Don't be shy, Anna," he said softly, twitching, as he reached up to gently unfasten her bodice. "I loves you, I do."

"I know you do," she said, smiling hesitantly, as he continued to remove her clothing. Soon, she was finally naked before him in the flickering candlelight.

"You're so beautiful," he rumbled as his eyes travelled avidly over her nude form. "I'm so lucky to have you, I am."

"I'm the lucky one, truly I am," she whispered as she reached out and divested him of his shirt. "I do love you, Obadiah, I do hope you know that."

"Let's not talk any more," he growled as he took her in his arms. "We has better things to be doing."

"Oh, yes," Anna breathed as Obadiah lowered her to the mattress.

Quite some time later, as the amorous couple lay cuddled together in the narrow bed after their erotic exertions, Anna asked, "How much longer will it be before the stable is done? I cannot wait to get out of this wretched house and away from Mrs Stokes." She idly stroked Obadiah's stomach as she spoke.

He swallowed hard, as her ministrations were arousing him anew. Finally, he said, "I think it will be ready two days from now, it should. I've got them heathen bastards workin' as fast as I can."

Obadiah didn't speak again for several long minutes, having moved to take Anna again - he couldn't get enough of her. He took special pains to keep the sounds of their mating to a minimum, as he had no desire to attract the attention of Mrs Stokes, who would, no doubt, ruin their fun. As Anna began to mewl with pleasure, he even put his hand over her mouth, muttering, "We don't need to bring that old whore in here on us, now, we don't."

After he'd removed his hand, she murmured, "You're right."

They both fell asleep shortly after they'd finished up for a second time. Anna felt snug and content as she drifted off to sleep in Obadiah's embrace, and looked forward to being able to do it every night.

Hakeswill reluctantly slipped out of Anna's arms shortly before dawn, as he needed to sneak out before the Stokes household awakened for the day. He dressed hurriedly in the pre-dawn darkness, then bent to kiss Anna on the cheek.

"I'll see you later, Anna," he murmured. "I loves you."

She reached out to grab his hand and squeeze it. "I love you, too," she responded. "I'll be counting the minutes until I can leave here with you for good."

After another quick kiss, Obadiah left without another word.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later that day, as Anna was doing some mending, Mrs Stokes came to her and said, "Put that mending away for now. I want you to get ready for my Bible society tea."

"I thought I wasn't permitted to attend those teas," Anna reminded her, puzzled.

"Yes, you usually aren't," Mrs Stokes affirmed. "But I thought I'd make an exception today, as we have a godly man attending who will give a talk on his plans to translate the Bible into a few of the Indian languages once he retires in a few years."

Anna resisted the urge to roll her eyes at this. She knew she'd not been invited for the Bible study, but rather, she guessed, because this was the first of the elderly officers that Mrs Stokes would try to foist her off on.

Nevertheless, she got up to do the other woman's bidding, knowing that in two days, she and Obadiah would be in their own home. So, she'd smile and nod, hoping that this would get her through the event. But Anna dearly hoped that this officer did not have his heart set on getting a young wife. It would be much easier if he were unaware of Mrs Stokes machinations.

"Why don't you go and freshen up, then put on your best gown," Mrs Stokes urged her. "You are my co-hostess, after all."

Anna lifted an eyebrow at this, sickened by the sugary insincerity that the older woman oozed. She much preferred Obadiah's blunt directness to Mrs Stokes blatant hypocrisy.

Nevertheless, she was seated by Mrs Stokes in the front room with several other officers' wives as Mrs Stokes introduced her to the guest of honour.

"This is Colonel Hector McCandless," the older woman said, introducing him to Anna. "During his years in India, he has done much to introduce the Gospel to many Indians who would not have had the chance otherwise to hear the Good News."

"Please to meet you, sir," Anna said politely, but in a distracted, disinterested tone. Even if she did not have Obadiah, she would not have been interested in this man - he was older than her father, for goodness' sake!

"Colonel McCandless," Mary Stokes continued. "This is Anna Perkins, who is Captain Perkins' daughter."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," the older man said, just as disinterested in her as she was in him. McCandless was a lifelong bachelor who felt awkward and uncomfortable around women, and had only accepted the invitation to tea because of his devotion to spreading the Gospel.

Anna relaxed as the talk began, confident that Colonel McCandless was not in on Mrs Stokes' plan. He seemed to be a no-nonsense type as well, who would not have taken kindly to her attempts at matchmaking had he known. The young woman tuned out and allowed herself to daydream about her new life with Obadiah as the man droned on.

Two nights later, Anna let Obadiah in the back gate after the Stokes household had gone to bed for the night.

"The stable is ready," he told her briefly, twitching. "Are you ready to go?"

"More than ready," she assured him. "I have my bags packed, just inside my room. There's my clothing, a few keepsakes, and all the linen I sewed for our new home."

She led him inside, where he took on most of the bags, allowing her to carry a few of the lighter ones.

"Let's go home," Obadiah said as the two left the Stokes home for the last time.

/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_**Author's Note:** I've posted a photo memorial of Pete Postlethwaite on my blog. A link to my blog can be found on my FFnet profile, near the bottom of the page._


	9. Anna's News

Anna and Obadiah slipped noiselessly down the alley to their new home, not wishing to alert anyone in the Stokes household to her departure. Anna had left a cryptic note in her bedroom, telling that she'd chosen to move out, so no one would think she'd met with foul play and decided to search for her.

As they arrived at the stable, Obadiah set his bundles down, then fished into his pocket for a key.

"The door locks from both the outside and inside now, it does, so's you can feel safe when you're here alone," he told her as he unlocked the door. "I have another key for you right here in my pocket."

"That's a relief," she said, as he handed her the duplicate key a moment later, then slipped it into her own pocket.

Before closing and locking the door back behind them, Hakeswill reached for the tinderbox he'd placed near the door to start a fire, so he could light a taper to then light the candle sconces he'd had installed in various places along the wall. Once the former stable was sufficiently lit, he took Anna's hand, saying, "Come see our new home, Anna."

She looked around and saw the table and two chairs in one corner by the window, "Oh, my, it will be so nice to sit here together in the evenings."

"There's more," he rumbled, leading her urgently to the bedroom, where there was a bed wide enough for them both to be comfortable, a night stand with a candle holder on top, a chair, plus several hooks along the wall to hang their clothing.

"Oh, you've thought of everything!" Anna said in delight. She reached up and gave him a kiss after he'd brought her bags into the bedroom. "I know I'm going to be happy living here."

Obadiah smiled, then urged, "Let's go to bed, missy. I wants to do it in our own bed." He was already in the process of stripping as he spoke.

"Let me make up the bed first," she said, smiling at his eagerness. "It will be much more comfortable that way." Anna looked into one of her bags and pulled out two sheets; one to tuck into the mattress and another to cover them with, along with two pillowcases for the pillows Obadiah had provided.

Picking up the pillows, she said, "Wherever did you get these? I can tell they're brand new, And they're of the finest quality." She was somewhat amazed that Obadiah had a good eye for quality.

"One of the Indians that helped fix this place up has a sister who sells such things in the market," Obadiah told her. "Made them herself, he told me. I got them 'cos I thought you deserved something nice to lay your head on, you do."

"Thank you, love," Anna. said quietly. "It's a wonderful gift." She turned to find Obadiah standing right behind her stark naked and aroused.

"Come on, Anna," he rumbled. "Enough of this primping for tonight. Let's go to bed now. You'll have plenty of time to fix this place up tomorrow, you will."

"You're right,' she said smiling at him, as his hands made quick work of the laces on her bodice. "I'm just so glad to be here, that's all."

Hakeswill chuckled at her enthusiasm as he continued to single-mindedly undress her. Once he'd disposed of her shift, they tumbled into bed together, with no more words being spoken that night, as they broke in the new bed right and proper.

Anna awakened early the next morning and at first didn't remember where she was. She smiled to herself as she rolled over to find Obadiah asleep beside her, snoring softly. As she reached over to put her shift back on, her hand was stopped by Obadiah's larger one.

"Not just yet, missy," he rumbled, his voice thick with sleep. "We needs to start the day off proper, we do."

"You're so right," she said as she rolled back over into his arms. "How could I have forgotten?"

"I don't know," he replied, twitching briefly. "But I intends to give it to you so good so's you never forget it again. Give you a bellyful, I will."

With a lustful smirk, he moved to make good his promise.

Later, after she and Obadiah had eaten the food he'd brought with him the night before, sitting at the table in the front room, he reluctantly stood up to leave.

"I have to go now, I do," he said, pulling her into his arms for a kiss. "Them lazy buggers would do nothing but lay around camp all day, they would, if I'm not there to light a fire under 'em." Walking to the door he said, "I should be back for lunch and I'll bring us something to eat from the sergeants' mess."

"I could go get some food from the market and try to cook," she said, looking dubiously at the small fireplace that had been installed on the opposite wall from the bedroom. "I don't really know much about cooking, but I've watched Mrs Stokes' servants enough times, so I could try to make something."

Patting her on the arm, Obadiah said, "Don't you worry none about that right now, missy. You've got plenty of time to learn all that and besides, I loves you for other things other than cooking, I do." After a pause, he continued, "And I wants you to stay out of sight for a few days, until they get used to you being gone. Don't want to risk them trying to drag you back there, I don't."

"I don't think there's any danger of that," Anna said, with a shaky laugh. "I imagine Mrs Stokes will be glad to see the back end of me."

"Maybe so," he agreed. "But I don't want to take a chance, You stay here today. After a few days you should be able to go out, no trouble."

"All right, Obadiah," she agreed meekly. "I'll stay out of sight." Looking around, surveying the things she'd missed in the dark when they'd arrived last night, she added, "I'll have plenty to keep me busy here setting our home to rights."

After Obadiah had left to go on duty, Anna explored her new home in more detail; seeing things she'd missed the previous night in the dim candlelight. There were several shelves in the front room near the table, as well as a couple in the bedroom on the opposite wall from the clothing hooks.

The first order of business was to get the curtains hung. Anna didn't like the idea of passing strangers being able to look inside, especially in the bedroom, as she was a private person by nature.

As she went into the bedroom to get the curtains she'd packed, she noticed that curtain rods had been thoughtfully installed, along with several curtain rings. It didn't take her long to attach the rings to the curtains, so in no time, she was standing back, admiring the curtains covering both windows with satisfaction. The stable was beginning to truly look like a home now.

Next, she went to unpack the rest of her belongings. She hung her gowns on the hooks provided, and placed her folded shifts on one of the bedroom shelves. Anna also had several books, which she placed on another shelf: a book of Shakespeare, a book of poetry, a couple of novels, and her mother's Bible. Books had helped her through the lonely times living in the Stokes home, so she regarded them as old friends.

She reached for the last bag again and pulled out Joseph's baby clothes and the basket he'd slept in. Overcome with emotion at the sight of the tiny garments, she sat down weakly on the side of the bed with them. Tears welled up as Anna thought of her baby boy, now buried in a dark hole, who would never grow up to be a man. As she sat twisting one of Joseph's shirts in her hand, her mind went back to something Obadiah had said that morning: _Give you a bellyful, I will._

Anna wondered if he was speaking seriously about having a child together or whether he was simply bragging about his virility. As she continued to ponder, it occurred to her that she would very much like to have a baby with Obadiah, knowing that Joseph would want her to give her love to another child; a child who would know his father, who would be born out of a loving relationship.

The more she thought about it, the more she hoped she was with child. She'd missed one monthly and was about due for another, so it was quite possible she was already pregnant. The young woman smiled to herself at the idea of her and Obadiah being parents and dearly hoped that he'd been serious about what he'd said that morning. Perhaps they'd even be able to get married as well, within due time. As she stood up to go about her business, she vowed to bring up the matter to Obadiah at some point.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Mary Stokes was irritated when Anna did not appear at breakfast. Ever since that bastard of hers had died, she'd taken to sleeping later than was proper. But today was the latest that Anna had remained abed. As soon as she'd finished her breakfast, Mrs Stokes stalked back to Anna's room, intending to give the younger woman a piece of her mind about the sinfulness of sloth.

She hammered on the door to Anna's bedroom, calling out, "Anna! Wake up this instant, you lazy thing!"

A long silence greeted her summons. Mrs Stokes got no reply, nor did she hear any movement from within the room.

Now thoroughly angry, she pulled the door open and was shocked to find the room empty, the bed unoccupied. At first thinking that Anna had risen on time but had simply failed to appear at breakfast, she belatedly realized that all of the other woman's belongings were missing. Everything was gone, except for the bed and night table.

The haughty woman stood there for a long moment, slack-jawed and flabbergasted, not quite believing what her eyes were telling her. But finally it dawned on her that Anna had left without informing her. A moment later, she spied a piece of paper lying on the nightstand.

Snatching the paper up, she began to read:

_Mrs Stokes,_

_I have found other lodgings and have decided to move out on my own. It is no longer fitting for me to continue to reside in your home, now that my son has passed away._

_Anna Perkins_

"Why, that ungrateful little slut," Mary Stokes muttered to herself. "I'll bet she's gone to live in sin with some man!" She spun on her heel and left the room, slamming the door in her wake.

"Mary!" Major Stokes said as she returned to the front room. "Whatever is the matter? You slammed that door so hard, I'm surprised it didn't fall off the hinges!"

"It's Anna!" she replied, handing him the note. "She's moved out without a word to anyone! No doubt to take up a life of sin! It seems as if I was right, after all, in that we should have put her out after the baby died."

Major Stokes was silent for a long moment after reading Anna's note. "It seems as if you were right, I'm sorry to say. I'd thought she was redeemable. Apparently not." He sighed loudly.

"Well, I wash my hands of her, completely!" Mary Stokes huffed indignantly. "She's made her bed - now she can lie in it!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A little over a week later, Anna was almost certain she was pregnant. She'd missed another monthly and felt the same way she remembered feeling when she'd realized she was carrying Joseph. She'd not vomited, but had felt decidedly queasy in the mornings.

Wanting to be sure, she waited several more days before bringing up the subject with Obadiah. She slipped out to the market one afternoon to get some arrack, knowing that he liked to drink it sometimes after a long day at work.

About three days after they'd moved in together, Obadiah had deemed it safe for her to go out during the day, considering that the Stokeses had made no inquiries of her whereabouts, nor had they looked for her.

He'd given her a few coins out of his stash, so she'd have spending money if she needed something during the day. The second day after they'd moved in, he'd come home that night with a strongbox, in which he'd placed all the plunder that had been previously squirreled in the hollow beam. After warning her to never tell anyone about the strongbox, he'd shoved it under their bed against the wall, explaining that it was their nest egg.

Anna realized that it was all stolen goods, but she didn't care. Early in their relationship, Obadiah had told her about his grim childhood, telling her that his motto was "Do it to them before they do it to you", plus she knew that the men in the ranks, even sergeants, were paid so little that the only way to get ahead was to steal. She knew there was authorized stealing, such as stripping the corpses of fallen enemies in battle, and unauthorized stealing, which involved stealing from the army and one's comrades in arms, and though she realized that Obadiah no doubt did both, she did not concern herself with the morality of it.

He arrived home about an hour after she'd returned from her errand. She'd put the new tablecloth she'd recently made on the table and laid out their plates for the food he'd bring from the sergeants' mess. Anna had also made sure to wear the gown that Obadiah liked best on her.

As he walked through the door, Obadiah Hakeswill's weariness showed clearly on his rawboned face. He brightened as he saw Anna coming to greet him with a kiss, as she did every evening. Just this small gesture of love meant a great deal to him, simply knowing that there was someone at home eagerly awaiting his arrival who cared whether he lived or died.

"You look pretty," Obadiah said as she kissed him. "A sight for sore eyes, you are."

"I'm glad to see you, too," she murmured, taking the food he'd brought and putting it on the table, as he went into the bedroom to take off his jacket.

"I think I wants to go to bed early tonight," he said, pulling out his chair to sit down for supper, "I worked as hard as a bleedin' heathen today, I did."

"I bought you some arrack when I was at the market today," Anna reported, placing the bottle on the table. "I thought you might like to have some after supper."

"You take such good care of me, you do," Obadiah said. "No one has looked out for me since I was a little 'un and my mother saw after me.

As he sat there nursing a glass of arrack as she cleaned off the table some time later, Anna said, in what she hoped was a casual tone, "The other morning, when you said you'd give me a bellyful, were you being serious, Obadiah? Do you want to become a father?"

He looked up at her, curious about the change of subject. "'Course I do. Every man should leave a son behind him. Daughters, too, I suppose."

"I'm so glad to hear that." Anna said, obviously relieved. She took a seat by Obadiah and took his hand. Almost brimming with excitement, she looked into his eyes and murmured, "I'm with child, Obadiah. We're going to have a baby!"

Hakeswill sat there gobsmacked for a long moment, not quite registering what Anna had told him. Finally, he pulled himself together and hesitantly asked. "You means it, Anna?"

"Very much so, Obadiah," she said, her voice almost giddy. "It seems as if you gave me a bellyful, after all."

A wide silly grin appeared on Obadiah's face at the thought of he and Anna becoming parents together. He didn't say anything, but pulled Anna onto his lap and gave her a long kiss. After they came up for air, he rumbled, "I don't think I've ever been happier than I am right now, I haven't."

"Me either," Anna said softly, kissing his bony cheek.

"I wants to ask you to marry me, I do, but there's no room on the strength for another wife right now," he told her. "I checked."

"That's all right, love," Anna said soothingly. "It's enough to me to know that you want to."

"I means to, though," he assured her earnestly. "Just as soon as there's room for another wife, I'll go straight to Captain Morris and get his permission to marry you. He won't say no, neither, because he depends on me to run things for him, he does."

"I can hardly wait," she murmured, following him into the bedroom.


	10. An Unexpected Opportunity

Over the next couple of months, Obadiah Hakeswill and Anna Perkins settled down into a content domestic routine. He left early each morning to attend to his duties as sergeant, which varied from supervising details within the town to going on patrols on the nearby roads. He also continued with his schemes, stealing what he could when the opportunity arose.

Obadiah came home for lunch if his duties kept him in town; if not, Anna did not see him until evening. It got a bit lonely spending most of her days by herself, but it was peaceful and a vast improvement over Mrs Stokes hectoring.

On Sundays, they spent the entire day together, mostly spending time walking around the town and the surrounding countryside. During the week, they spent their evenings comfortably at home together, conversing as Anna made baby clothes and mended Obadiah's clothing, while he worked to make a cradle for their baby.

"I could buy a cradle, if I wanted to," he told her the first evening he'd brought the wood home. "But I wants to make it myself. I learned a good bit about woodworking, I did, as a boy before I had to leave home to join the army, so's I know I can do a good job of it."

"It means so much more if you make it with your own hands," Anna agreed.

"I'll makes it good and strong, 'cos I expects that more than one baby will be using it, they will," Obadiah replied.

"I certainly hope so," Anna said, smiling, her heart warm at the thought of the family they would one day have.

Now, after two months, the cradle was complete and Anna had moved on from making baby clothes to making baby blankets. As time went by, she found she greatly enjoyed being pregnant, much more so than the first time, when she'd been banished from her home and reminded of what a "sinner" she was all during the months preceding Joseph's birth.

With Obadiah, it was completely different. He was almost reverent about her impending motherhood, and observed the changes in her body with childish delight. Anna blossomed because she was able to relax and watch her pregnancy unfold in peace.

As they went to bed one evening, Obadiah rubbed his hand over her belly after she'd crawled nude into bed beside him.

"I thinks your belly is getting bigger, it is," he observed as he continued to gently stroke it. "It's going to be a big 'un."

"I wouldn't be surprised, as much as I eat," she agreed, laughing.

"You needs to eat a lot," he admonished her, twitching. "You're eating for two, you are."

Rolling over on his side a few minutes later, he instructed, "Lie on your side this time and we'll be like two spoons in a drawer together,"

As she complied, he moved closer, murmuring, "That's it. Works fine, it does."

/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next morning, Hakeswill got out of bed a little past dawn to start his day. Anna stirred as he dressed, but he mumbled, "Stay in bed. You needs the rest." After kissing her on the cheek, he slipped out and headed quickly up the alley.

As he entered camp, he noticed several of his men clustered around one tent, with some others nearby eating their breakfasts. None of the men were ready for duty, as he expected them to be by the time he arrived in camp each morning.

"What in bloody hell are you bleedin' sods doing?" he roared as he walked up to the cluster of privates around the tent. "Got you a _bibbi _in there, do you? Been there all night, has she? Time to let her get some rest, lads. Eh?"

A couple of the men turned their heads, clearly unhappy to see Hakeswill. Corporal Grimsby, who stood at the edge of the group, sighed and tore himself away to report to the sergeant.

"It's Private Mullins' wife," Grimsby explained. "She's just given birth not more than an hour ago and…"

"So?" Hakeswill interrupted. "Women have babies every day, they do. Haven't these lazy buggers ever seen a birthing before?"

Lowering his voice, the corporal continued, "The baby was born dead and she's not expecting to live, either, Sarge."

The wheels started turning in Hakeswill's head when he heard this. Turning to Grimsby, he said "Let me in there. I needs to find out if it's true, I do."

He pushed through the knot of privates blocking the tent entrance, then went inside. The scent of blood was redolent in the tent as he entered the confined space. The midwife was wrapping the dead infant while Private Mullins sat by his wife, who had soaked the cot in blood.

The young private, who was holding his wife's hand for dear life, looked up briefly as Hakeswill entered the tent. Giving the scrawny sergeant a hard look, he was determined not to leave his wife's side, no matter what Hakeswill said. Before he could tell him so, however, Maggie Mullins began moaning weakly.

Hakeswill did not speak, but stood by impassively assessing the situation.

"I'm right here, Maggie," John Mullins said, returning his gaze to his dying wife.

"I love you, John," she croaked. "It's been good few years together."

"Don't leave me, Maggie," he cried, even as he felt her grip on his hand go slack.

Obadiah Hakeswill had seen death in all its forms during his time in the army and knew immediately that Maggie Mullins had died.

Looking down at the young private with an inscrutable expression, he twitched briefly, then said, "You take the day off, Mullins, and take care of your wife." He turned and walked out of the tent without another word. The bereaved husband looked after him with a slack jawed expression, stunned that Hakeswill had shown any sort of humanity toward him.

Once outside the tent, Sergeant Hakeswill turned to the men still milling around and said, "Move along, you lazy sods! Nothing to see here, there ain't."

As the group shuffled off to go back about their business, Hakeswill found Grimsby sitting eating his breakfast. "I have some business I needs to attend to, I do, so I needs you to take the men out today."

After Grimsby had acknowledged his orders, Hakeswill added, "Mullins wife just died, so I'm letting him take the day off to bury his family, I am."

As Mullins had before him, Grimsby regarded the rawboned man incredulously, but did not comment. He wondered what on Earth had gotten into Obadiah Hakeswill to make him act decently about this situation, rather than as his usual bastard self.

Obadiah Hakeswill nearly chortled with glee as he left the encampment to go find Captain Morris. With Maggie Mullins' death, this meant there was a vacancy on the strength, so he intended to ask the captain's permission to marry Anna right away, before someone else got to him. It was the perfect time to ask, too, as Richard Sharpe had been sent out of Seringaptam for a few months on detachment and by the time the other sergeant returned, Obadiah's marriage would be old news. With Captain Morris' blessing of their union, Anna would be under the captain's protection as well and Sharpie wouldn't dare to harm her then.

He found Captain Morris just as he was leaving the officer's mess on his way to his office. Falling into step with the officer, Hakeswill gave him a crisp salute, then said, "Begging your pardon, sir, but I have a matter I needs to talk to you about, I do."

Rubbing his head to ease the pain of his hangover, Morris said, "I have a few minutes to spare, so come along to my office, then. But make it quick, because I have a terrible headache."

"Just need a couple of minutes, I do, sir," the sergeant assured him.

A short time later, the two men entered Morris' office at army headquarters. Hakeswill waited to speak until Morris had pulled out a fresh liquor bottle and poured himself a glass before finally settling himself behind his desk,

Morris looked up at the bony sergeant, catching him in mid-twitch. "All right, Obadiah, what is it? Someone you want flogged, hmm?"

"Not this time, sir," Hakeswill said. "I wants to ask your permission to get married."

"Married? You?" Morris nearly choked on his drink at the thought of some woman…any woman…being willing to marry the twitching sergeant. "I believe we're at full strength right now. No room for more wives."

"Private Mullins' wife died this morning, she did,, sir," Hakeswill reported, twitching again. "She died birthing a dead baby. So there's a place open now for a new wife. And I wants it. I'm nearly thirty years old and it's time for me to be proper married, it is."

"Do you have a woman in mind?" Morris didn't want to imagine the woman who wanted to marry Hakeswill.

"Yes, sir," he replied, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes at the drunken officer, thinking of what a stupid bugger he was. "I have a woman and I've already given her a bellyful, I have. We'd like to be married right away, so's our little 'un won't be born a bastard."

"All right, Hakeswill," Morris consented. "You can get married as soon as you're ready. I'll write you a note and you go see the regimental chaplain to arrange it."

"I thanks you, sir," Hakeswill said. "We'll be doing it as soon as we can, probably tomorrow."

"So, who is it, Obadiah?" Morris asked in idle curiosity. He'd not seen Hakeswill in the company of any women since they'd been stationed in Seringapatam. "Some little _bibbi_? I'd heard that you'd found quarters away from the encampment. At least now I know what that was all about."

"No, sir," Obadiah said, standing up proudly. "I got me an Englishwoman, I did. I'll bring her by some time, so's she can meet you."

As the other two men had done before him, Captain Morris gave Hakeswill an incredulous look, wondering who the mysterious Englishwoman was who would be willing to marry Obadiah Hakeswill.

After leaving Captain Morris, Hakeswill went looking for the chaplain. Knowing that he would have likely been called to preside over the Mullins funeral, he headed back to camp where he indeed found the man leaving Private Mullins' tent.

"I needs to have a word with you, sir," the sergeant said as he met the chaplain at the edge of a row of tents.

"Yes, what is it, Sergeant?" the chaplain said impatiently, not slowing his pace. He did not like the wiry sergeant, considering him a sinner of the worst sort.

"I have a note here from Captain Morris, I do, giving me permission to get married," he explained, holding up the note as proof. "I needs to know when you can do it. I wants to get married as quickly as possible, 'cos I have a little 'un on the way."

The chaplain knew of Hakeswill's reputation of blackmailing the camp wives into having sex with him, regarded him sourly as he spoke of his plans to marry.

"As long as the woman is willing, I will be able to do it tomorrow," the chaplain told him stiffly. "I have a funeral to conduct later today."

"'Course she's willing!" Obadiah said indignantly. "And we'll be by tomorrow to get married, too."

He left the chaplain then, heading to a small shop near the market. Now that he was getting married, he needed to get Anna a proper wedding ring. The shop was the place where he usually hocked the jewellery he'd plundered and he knew they'd have something suitable there for his bride.

As he entered the cluttered, dimly-lit shop, a compact Indian in late middle age greeted him. "Ah, my good friend Hakeswill. What have you brought me today?"

"Not selling today, I ain't," Obadiah told him in an almost jovial tone. "I needs to buy a wedding ring, 'cos I'm getting married."

"Congratulations to you and your bride," the Indian said deferentially. "I have many rings that would be fitting for your needs." He reached under the counter and brought out a tray of assorted gold rings.

Obadiah took his time examining the rings at length. Finally, he chose a gold band with flowers carved around the band, knowing how much Anna loved flowers.

"I wants this one," he said decisively. He peered at the ring again, noting that it appeared to be the right size for Anna's finger.

"An excellent choice," the other man noted, handing him a small velvet-covered box.

Hakeswill paid him, then hurried back to Anna, eager to tell her the news and to formally propose to her.

A short time later, Obadiah opened the door to the former stable and found Anna making up their bed. She came out into the front room when she heard the door open, a quizzical expression on her face.

"Sit down, Anna," he said, almost brimming over with glee. "We needs to talk."

"What is it, Obadiah," she said breathlessly, knowing it was something good, just by the expression on his face.

Looking intently into her eyes, he took one of her hands, while simultaneously fishing out the small box with the other, Obadiah twitched, then said earnestly, "Anna, will you marry me?" He opened the box to reveal the gleaming gold ring.

"Of course, I will, Obadiah," Anna said softly, looking down at the beautiful ring. "You know that already. But I thought there was no more room on the strength?"

"There is now," he reported, again twitching. "Private Mullins' wife died this morning giving birth to a dead baby, she did."

"Oh, how sad," Anna said, frowning.

"That it is, missy, but that means there's room for another wife now, so I went straight to Captain Morris, before someone else got it."

"I take it he gave his permission?" Anna asked.

"'Course he did," Obadiah affirmed. "He wouldn't have dared to say no, considering how much dirt I have on him. He had to give me permission, if he wants me to continue keeping my mouth shut, he did."

"When are we going to get married?" Anna asked eagerly.

"Tomorrow morning, first thing, we're going to go see the regimental chaplain and get married all proper and official-like," he said.

"I have some new ribbon that I can dress up one of my gowns with," Anna decided. "And I've just recently brushed and pressed your spare uniform, plus you have a clean shirt. After I fix up my gown, I can shine your boots as well."

"Sounds like you and me is ready to get proper married, then," he said, twitching slightly. After a pause, he added, "And no one will be able to call our little 'un a bastard, they won't."

"No, they won't," Anna agreed fervently, her thoughts briefly returning to poor Joseph. Banishing the unhappy thoughts from her mind, she smiled as she thought of her wedding

Early the next morning, the couple rose early, eager to finally tie the knot. They'd spent the previous afternoon making preparations for the wedding. After everything was complete, they'd gone down to the river to bathe together before the evening meal.

Now, after eating a quick breakfast and getting dressed, they were ready to go.

"You're so beautiful, Anna," Obadiah rumbled as she came out of the bedroom wearing her newly refurbished gown, which was a remnant of her old life. It was made of dusty rose silk, now dressed up with a matching satin sash. Anna had used the remaining satin on her bonnet, so it would complement the outfit. "I don't know if a bastard like me deserves a good woman like you."

"I'm lucky to get you," Anna told him seriously. "And I don't think I've ever seen you look so handsome as you do today."

Obadiah twitched, not accustomed to hearing the word "handsome" applied to him. Reaching out to take her hand, he said, "Let's go get married."

"Do you have the ring?" Anna asked as they stepped out the door.

"Right here," he assured her, patting his pocket.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As they passed the army encampment a short time later on their way to the chaplain's lodgings, Hakeswill's men were up and about getting ready for that day's duty. Privates Taylor and Miller, along with a couple of others were sitting around the campfire eating breakfast, which was close to the road where Hakeswill and Anna were passing by.

Taylor spotted the couple first, who were caught up in their own happiness and paying no attention to the goings-on within the camp.

Grabbing Miller's sleeve, he pointed and said, "Bloody hell! Will you look at that! It seems I was right after all - Hakeswill's got himself a woman!"

Everyone's head swivelled over to gawk at the passing couple, who were walking close together, arm in arm.

"Not very comely, is she, lads?" Private Miller pointed out. "Not pretty like my Abigail."

"Miller, it's _Hakeswill _we're talking about here," Private Jones put in, laughing. "He's a right ugly bugger that no bonny lass would be seen dead with."

"Still, she's an Englishwoman, which is more than I'd have given Hakeswill credit for," Taylor mused. "Around here, any Englishwoman ought to be able to do better than the likes of bloody Obadiah Hakeswill."

At that moment there was a brief gust of wind that pulled Anna's gown tight across her stomach, which revealed the slight bulge of her belly in mid-pregnancy.

"Oho!" Taylor crowed, chortling. "Do you see what I see, boys? It seems as if old Obadiah has been a very bad boy, indeed!"

Miller shuddered, then said, "I just thank God every day that he didn't leave my Abigail in that condition." Looking at the retreating form of Anna Perkins, he added, "I wonder what in the world she sees in that twitching bastard?"

"Well, you know, they say that love is blind," Taylor responded.

"And in this case, it's deaf and senseless, too," Jones put in. "Poor lass, she doesn't know what she's in for with that one."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Obadiah and Anna found the chaplain on the road, near army headquarters. Sighing in resignation as he saw the couple approaching, he said, "Is this the woman you want to marry, Sergeant?"

Hakeswill resisted rolling his eyes at the unctuous man, thinking, _No, you stupid bugger, this is my bleedin' maid. Of course she's the woman I want to marry! _Instead, he said, "Yes, sir, this is my intended, Anna Perkins."

The chaplain frowned as Hakeswill said her name, wondering where he'd heard it before. Suddenly, he remembered.

Looking sharply at Anna, he demanded sharply, "You're Captain Perkins' daughter, correct? The one who had a bastard by a sepoy, right?"

Anna's face fell to have her past slapped in her face yet again like this, throwing a damper on what should be the happiest day of her life. She nodded dumbly, not wishing to speak.

The chaplain nodded in sudden understanding, knowing now how Obadiah Hakeswill had found an Englishwoman willing to marry him. This woman wouldn't be able to do any better than this malevolent, twitching sergeant if she wanted to be married. He did not pity her in the slightest. It was appropriate that she be compelled to live with such a man as a just consequence of her sinful behaviour. Hakeswill had said she was with child, so it was apparently that she'd not repented and learned her lesson the first time.

Obadiah didn't care for where the conversation was headed. Looking squarely at the chaplain, his face twitched, then he demanded gruffly, "Are you going to be able to marry us, sir?"

Giving them a hard look, he said, "Yes, yes I will. The two of you _deserve_ each other and I can't think of a better matched couple!" After a pause, he added, "Why don't we go down to headquarters for the ceremony, then I can record the marriage officially."

Both Anna and Obadiah caught the sarcasm in his voice, but did not rise to the bait. Anna put a gentle hand on Obadiah's arm to let him know that she was all right. He glanced at her and she gave him an encouraging smile as the followed the chaplain.

The ceremony did not take long. Neither of them listened closely to the chaplain's droning voice as he conducted the ceremony, but rather spent the time gazing into each others eyes, and both had to be prompted to give their responses.

Moments later, Obadiah slipped the gold band onto Anna's finger, repeating after the chaplain, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Once they'd been pronounced man and wife, they forgot about the chaplain as they shared their first kiss as a married couple and again had to be prompted to sign their names on the marriage certificate.

As they returned to the street minutes later, Obadiah took Anna's hand and said, "Let's go home, Mrs Hakeswill."


	11. Satisfaction

A little over two weeks after the wedding, Obadiah Hakeswill was sitting in his old tent in camp making out new duty rosters. He'd removed most of his belongings from the tent, bringing them to the home he now shared with Anna, but his old cot and a blanket and pillow remained. He'd also found a desk and chair, which he'd set up in the tent and now considered the tent to be his office.

Just before he was finished with the roster, he heard a knock on the tent pole.

"Sarge?" a voice outside said hesitantly.

"Come in, I haven't got all bleedin' day, I don't," Hakeswill called out irritably after a moment's hesitation.

The tent flap parted to admit Private Robinson, who looked around nervously as he stood in front of Hakeswill's desk.

Hakeswill looked up sourly at the soldier, who looked as if he wanted to swallow his tongue. "What is it, Robinson?" he demanded, his face twitching, when the young private did not speak. "Don't be wasting my time and yours."

"I came to ask your permission to get m-married," Robinson finally choked out, gulping several times. "It's one of Mrs Gore's maids."

"Permission denied," Hakeswill immediately told him, the corners of his lips turned up.

"Can I ask why?" Robinson said, bewildered. "There's room on the strength now that Mullins' wife died. I waited a couple of weeks to ask, you know, out of respect for the dead."

"Well, you're too bloody late!" Hakeswill cackled gleefully. "There's been another marriage, so there's no room on the strength, there ain't." Now grinning malevolently, the scrawny sergeant added, "Even if there was an opening, I'd say no. Man as young as you has no business wastin' it on just one woman. You needs to be spreadin' it around to every woman you can find, just like God intended it. Says so in the scriptures, it does."

"Who got married?" Robinson asked, scratching his head. "None of the men I know did."

"It was me," Hakeswill told him, still chortling. "I got married. Did it right after Mullins' wife died, too. Early bird gets the worm, it does." Indicating the paperwork on his desk, he continued, "You go on now about your business, 'cos I have to finish next week's duty roster." Looking up at the young private, he concluded. "Take my advice, Robinson. Go find you a sweet little _bibbi_ to take care of your itches, and forget about getting married. Privates young as you shouldn't be married - makes them bad soldiers, it does."

Samuel Robinson was fuming as he left Hakeswill's tent. He had counted on being able to marry Rachel and now he didn't know what he was going to tell her. It figured that the bastard Hakeswill would ruin his plans.

With a dejected look on his face, he walked by where several other privates were cleaning their muskets.

"So, did Hakeswill give you permission to marry Rachel?" Private Jones called out as Robinson approached.

"No," Robinson said miserably. "He said there was no room on the strength for another wife."

"What?" Private Taylor exclaimed incredulously. "Ain't none of us got married since Mullins' wife died, God rest her soul."

"None of us but Hakeswill, that is," Robinson said darkly. "The bastard told me that _he _got married right after Mullins' wife died."

"No wonder he took off from camp like a bat out of hell and had me take the work detail that day," Grimsby told the group. "He told me he had business to take care of when he gave me the work detail." After a pause, he added, "He never hinted that he was getting married, though. Man never tells me any of his personal business."

"He must have been on his way to get married when we saw him with that ugly bint," Private Miller guessed.

"I think you're right," Taylor said. "Now that I think of it, I don't think I ever saw Hakeswill looking as clean as he did on that day. His uniform looked almost new, which is something he'd not bother with unless we were on parade."

"I just thought the slag was one of Naig's whores that Hakeswill had used and was taking back to Naig," Jones said. "I never thought that the bastard would be the marrying type."

"That one was probably a whore before Hakeswill took up with her," Robinson sneered. "He'll have to keep a ready supply of mercury from now on for the both of them as they'll likely keep passing the clap back and forth to each other. And knowing what scum he is, he'll probably rent her out to make some extra money. Though I can't see any soldier wanting to roger her knowing that Hakeswill's been inside of her."

Robinson had not noticed the other soldiers backing away in bug-eyed fear, but kept nattering on about what a slattern Hakeswill's bride was. Much too late, it registered on him that the other men had gone mysteriously silent. He turned to find himself face to face with an angry Obadiah Hakeswill.

"What's that you just said, boy?" Hakeswill demanded harshly, poking him hard on the chest with his index finger. "Did I just hear you call my sweet wife a whore?"

"N-nothing, Sarge!" he finally managed to choke out.

"Don't lie to me, you filthy piece of scum," Hakeswill said in a menacing tone. "There's nothing more I hates than when one of my men lies to me."

Robinson didn't say anything, knowing he was in for it now.

"So, you think my wife is a whore, do you?" Hakeswill continued, with a slight twitch. "She ain't no whore; she's an officer's daughter, which is more than I can say for the trull you wanted to marry. I should know, 'cos I lifted the skirts of that one, I did, and didn't have to pay nothin', neither, for riding her."

Seeing the young private struggling to control himself, he grinned malevolently, then said, "And I'm not the only one, neither, who had her. She encouraged all us sergeants to come and push it up in her, right up to the hilt. Told us that Colonel Gore's wife ain't paying her enough, so she decided to do some whorin' on the side, she did." Cackling, he went on, "See, she let me have it for free whenever I wanted, 'cos I was finding men for her to sell it to. I told her if she did good making money for me, I'd introduce her to Naig, where she could make even more."

Robinson's face had turned purple by this time and a vein pulsed on the side of his head, as he struggled mightily to keep from hitting Hakeswill.

"And look at you, you friggin' pansy," Hakeswill goaded. "A real man would take up for his woman, he would, but you're just standing there like dumb mule while I tell everyone what a bleedin' poxy whore she is."

That was it. Robinson couldn't stand the taunting any longer. Before he realized what he was doing, his fist shot out and connected with Hakeswill's jaw, knocking the smaller man onto his arse in the dirt.

Hakeswill came up grinning, rasping out, "I've got you now, you bleedin' sod," before lighting into him with flying fists. The scrawny sergeant was not a large man, but he was a scrapper, having had to fight to defend himself and his mother since boyhood. Even after he had the private on the ground, bleeding from the nose and from cuts on his face, Hakeswill didn't let up, but kicked him several times with his heavy boots.

Once his ire was thoroughly spent, Hakeswill turned to the other privates who looked on in horror, then said, "Any time any of you miserable buggers get a mind to insult my wife, you'll get the same as him, mark my words, along with the flogging he's going to get in the morning, you will."

As the privates scattered, Hakeswill turned to Grimsby, twitching slightly. "Confine this bugger to his tent and have a guard posted. He'll be flogged in the morning for striking his superior, he will."

After Grimsby carted Robinson off, Hakeswill watched in satisfaction for a moment before going about his own business.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Several weeks later, Anna Hakeswill took a walk to the market to get some fresh fruit for her and Obadiah to have as a snack after dinner. Though she was now entitled to go eat in the sergeants' mess along with her husband, she generally preferred the privacy of eating at home. She still had not yet learned to cook and relied on Obadiah to bring food home from the mess tent, but she hoped to one day learn to cook for them both.

It was beastly hot as she left the house, but Anna didn't mind. The midwife had told her it was good for her to get a bit of exercise every day and had also told her that the fresh fruit would help the baby growing inside her.

As she neared the bustling marketplace, she thought she might get some cloth to make another gown, because her expanding pregnant belly was making the gowns she had rather tight and she'd already let them out as far as they would go. Obadiah had told her to get something nice for herself now and then and had given her a sufficient allowance to do so, but so far she'd resisted. But after looking down at her belly straining against the now ill-fitting gown, she knew she couldn't put it off any longer. Anna would buy some cloth to make a new gown and if enough was left over, would try to find a book to read as well, remembering that she'd seen a vendor selling used books at one time.

She found the cloth she needed in fairly short order selling for a reasonable price. It was sage green linen, which complemented Anna's skin tone and would wear well in the humid Indian climate. As she left the small shop, which opened into the main marketplace, she met Mrs Stokes outside, approaching the shop.

Anna drew herself up stiffly, then curtly said, "Excuse me."

Mrs Stokes moved to block her path, narrowing her eyes as she noticed Anna's pregnant belly straining against the too-small gown.

"Well!" the older woman sniffed haughtily. "I might have known! I'm not surprised to see you breeding another bastard. I knew you were irredeemable; your kind never changes." Glaring down her nose at the young woman, she added, "By the looks of you, you had to have conceived that bastard while still living under my roof."

"My child will not be born a bastard, if it's any of your business," Anna said proudly. Holding up her left hand to show off her wedding ring, she added, "I'll have you know that I'm now a properly married woman and no longer any of your concern."

"Well, I never!" Mrs Stokes said.

"Perhaps you should have!" Anna snapped back waspishly. "Maybe if Major Stokes hadn't been firing blanks all these years, you'd have children of your own and your jealousy wouldn't cause you act so unkindly to those of us who are able to have children!"

"I have never been so insulted so crudely in all my life!" Mrs Stokes huffed as she stalked off in high dudgeon, having completely forgotten about her errand.

As the woman moved out of earshot, Anna was suddenly aware of a pair of hands clapping slowly. She looked to her left to see a no-nonsense red-haired woman a few years her senior smiling broadly at her.

"Good for you, for putting the old witch in her place!" Carrie Norris said, grinning widely "It was about time that someone did. That woman is insufferable!"

"You know Mrs Stokes?" Anna said, smiling back at the other woman, who had a little boy about three years old standing with her.

"Unfortunately, I do," Carrie grumbled. "She's taken it upon herself to come down to visit the wives of the army camp, mainly to natter at us about how to treat our men, raise our children, and run our lives in general, along with her Bible classes. Says it's her Christian duty to the less fortunate, so she does."

Anna rolled her eyes at this. "I've had the same speech from her, I'm afraid."

Snorting in derision, the other woman continued, "It's not bloody likely that I'll take advice from the likes of her on how to treat my man or raising my boy, considering that Major Stokes is a regular customer of Nasty Naig, and that she's never raised no young ones of her own, so she hasn't. I raised my eight younger brothers and sisters after my mum died when I was twelve, so I don't think I need any advice on how to raise my own, especially from the likes of that one."

"Amen to that," Anna agreed fervently.

"I haven't seen you around before," the other woman said. "I'm Carrie Norris, and my husband is Sergeant Norris. I expect you're an officer's wife, considering how well-spoken you are."

"Oh, no," Anna demurred, blushing. "My husband is a sergeant, too. I'm Anna Hakeswill."

"Obadiah Hakeswill's wife?" Carrie said, surprised. "I had no idea that he'd taken himself a wife. At least my Billy never mentioned it to me, but that's not surprising, as men care little for such as that."

Carrie had heard the stories about Obadiah Hakeswill from her husband and around camp; that he was a tough, malevolent bastard, but she didn't hold it against the pleasant young woman standing before her. Hakeswill had never given her nor her husband any trouble, so it didn't matter to her that Anna was married to him.

"Yes, Obadiah and I got married a few months ago," she said. "It was a quiet wedding, as neither of us wanted to make a fuss," After a moment, she added, "We have our own rooms away from camp, so that's why we've not met before."

"But you talk like a lady," Carrie persisted. "You don't sound like no ranker's wife at all. I'm wondering how you and Sergeant Hakeswill got together."

"Well, I, err…" Anna stammered, feeling decidedly uncomfortable. Here was a woman who had the potential to be her first female friend since arriving in India and Anna did not know what to say about her past, for fear of being rejected.

"Oh, come on, honey," Carrie encouraged, putting a gentle hand on your arm. "It couldn't be that bad. I made my living on my back, so I did, before Billy came along to marry me and take me away from all that. I can't lie and say my life is easy in camp getting along with the other wives, because it hasn't. But I know I did what I had to do to help feed my Da's little ones, so I just hold my head high and know I'm just as good as any of them. Billy doesn't mind, and that's all that matters. But I surely could use another woman to be friends with, so I could."

"Well," Anna said slowly, after a long bit of hesitation. "I'm thinking you've probably heard of me. My father is Captain Perkins and he disowned me after I was taken advantage of by a sepoy and ended up conceiving a child from that. Major and Mrs Stokes took me in as 'their Christian duty' and I endured months of hell being reminded every day of what a sinner I was until I met Obadiah. I had a beautiful baby boy, but he died not too long after Obadiah and I started seeing one another."

"I'm so sorry," Carrie said quietly. "It must have been terrible having to live with that woman and then to lose your baby on top of that. I lost one myself, not long after Billy and I first got together."

"It was," Anna said. "She treated me like a slave"

"So, how did you meet your sergeant, then?" Carrie asked softly.

"I used to sneak out of the house fairly often just to get away from Mrs Stokes for awhile and to spend some private time with my baby," she vaguely, not wanting to reveal that Obadiah had hidden loot in the stable. She knew he had several other hiding places such as this in other places around the town. "There was a place I liked to go sit where it was shady and I met Obadiah one day when he was passing by. He thought I looked lonely sitting there all by myself, so he stopped to talk to me. We met several times that way, and one thing simply led to another." After a pause, she smiled shyly and confided, "I'm so glad I met him - he treats me like a queen."

"I'm happy with my Billy, too," Carrie said. "So, do you have enough clothes for your new baby?"

"I think so," Anna said, "I spend most of the day sewing after I've tidied our rooms. But I'm afraid I don't know how to cook yet, as I never had to do it as a girl."

"I can teach you," Carried offered confidently. "I took over my mum's job after she died, so I know all about good cooking."

"Oh, that's so kind of you!" Anna said. "I don't know how I could repay you."

"You can be my friend," Carrie told her. "Us sergeants' wives need to stick together, so we do. And if you have a mind, you might could help me with my reading, so I can teach little Billy here when he gets older. I can read some, but not real good."

"Oh, I'd be more than happy to," Anna said warmly. "Why don't you come by tomorrow after the men have gone on duty."

"Sounds good to me," Carrie said. "It will be good to get away from camp for awhile."

"Until then," Anna said, after giving the other woman directions to the former stable.

"I'll look forward to it," the other woman said.

Anna smiled happily as she made her way home a few minutes later, looking forward to seeing her husband after a long day and then spending time with a new friend tomorrow. Life was good at last.

'


	12. Friendship

**As Anna and Obadiah ate the evening meal several hours later, Anna told him, "I met a woman today at the market that I think will turn out to be a good friend."**

**Hakeswill gave her a sceptical look, raising an eyebrow, concerned that someone might be trying to get back at him through her.**

"**Oh, I know what you're thinking," Anna said slowly, putting a gentle hand on his arm. "But it wasn't like that at all."**

"**I just wants you to be safe, I do," Obadiah said, twitching briefly. "I worry about you."**

"**I know you do," she said, smiling. "And I am careful of people. I learned only too well living with Mrs Stokes that not everyone has my best interests at heart." **

**After taking a bite of food, she explained, "I was buying some linen to make a new gown with, as my belly is getting too big to comfortably fit into the gowns I have. As I left the store, I ran into Mrs Stokes, who proceeded to call me all sorts of vile names when she noted that I was with child, loudly enough for those around us to hear clearly."**

**Laughing softly, she added, "You would have been proud of me, Obadiah. I let myself go and I told her exactly what I thought of her, even telling her that her unkindness was because she was jealous of me being able to have children, while she was burdened with a husband who could do nothing but shoot blanks."**

**Obadiah cackled heartily at hearing this. "That's my girl! I seems to have taught you something after all, I have. Put her in her place good, did you?"**

"**Oh, yes, I think so," Anna assured him, grinning widely. "Her face was red with shame when she walked away from me."**

"**I'd have given anything to see it, I would," he told her, still looking gleeful. "Serves the old heifer right."**

"**After she walked off, a woman who had seen the whole thing came up and congratulated me for putting her in her place," Anna told him. "It seems as if Mrs Stokes has been going to the army wives and trying to tell them how to be good wives and better mothers, along with her Bible studies."**

**Hakeswill chuckled malevolently at the notion of this. "I don't think none of them women liked that at all, they wouldn't."**

**Anna laughed merrily, then said, "That's putting it mildly, to say the least."**

"**Who was the woman?" he asked, twitching slightly.**

"**It was Carrie Norris. Her husband is Sergeant Norris," Anna told him. "She thought I was an officer's wife, of all things."**

"**It's not surprising someone would think that, considering how you talk," Obadiah said. "People figure you were raised as a lady, they do." After a pause, he continued in an approving tone, "I know Carrie Norris. She's a good mother and she keeps her man in good order. If not for her, the man would have never made sergeant, mark my words."**

"**So you consent to me being friends with her?" Anna asked in a hopeful tone.**

"**I do," he assured her. "She'll help you to learn how to live happy with us rankers, she will. And I'll feel safer when I have to go off sometimes on duty, knowing that you'll have someone with some sense here looking after you."**

"**I asked her if she would teach me how to cook," Anna told him. "She said she would if I'd help her with her reading." With a loud sigh, she elaborated, "I do want to learn to cook and be more of a proper wife to you."**

"**Listen here, missy," Obadiah rumbled, taking her hand as he looked intently into her eyes. "You already are everything I want in a wife, see? You warm my bed, you care whether I live or die, you respect me, and you're bearing my child. Nobody else but my mother has ever cared about me like you do. Though I loves it that you want to cook for me, never think you ain't enough of a wife to me just as you are. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, you are."**

"**Oh, Obadiah, you are so precious to me," Anna murmured, leaning over to kiss his bony cheek. "And I want to learn how to cook just because it would make me happy to cook for you and our child."**

"**I look forward to eatin' everything you make," he promised. "You're going to make me fat, you are."**

**Anna laughed merrily at the absurd notion of Obadiah being fat. "I simply cannot picture you being fat, love. I don't think you have it in you."**

"**Probably not," he agreed. "No matter what I eat, I just stays the same size, I do."**

"**I invited Carrie to come over here tomorrow for my first cooking lesson, if you don't mind," Anna told him.**

"**Not at all," he replied. "Carrie Norris has a good head on her shoulders, and I know she'll be discreet-like and not telling our private business all over camp, she won't."**

"**Yes, I got that impression from her as well," Anna concurred. "She seemed most trustworthy."**

"**It'll be good for you to spend time among womenfolk, too," Hakeswill decided. **

"**I was thinking the same thing," she said. "I was quite close to my mother as a girl, and I miss that sort of companionship."**

"**But you should stay away from any of the privates' wives," Hakeswill warned her, twitching. "You're a sergeant's wife and you needs to maintain a proper distance from those of the lower ranks, you do."**

"**All right, Obadiah," Anna said meekly. "I'll do as you say."**

**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/**

**Carrie Norris was in a fine mood as she strolled back to the tent encampment with her little boy, Ben. She'd been despairing of ever finding any friends among the Army wives since arriving in Seringapatam. Like Obadiah Hakeswill, her husband Billy had told her not to get too familiar with the wives of lower-ranking men, but the wives of the few married sergeants had turned their noses up at her, because she'd been a whore before marrying Billy.**

**She been lucky in the way that she'd found Anna Hakeswill, as they likely would not have spoken to one another, if not for the confrontation with Mary Stokes. Even then, Carrie had taken her to be an officer's wife and was truly flabbergasted to find she was married to Obadiah Hakeswill, of all people. It wasn't until Anna had told her how she knew Mrs Stokes that she understood why Anna had accepted the suit of Hakeswill, a man, Carrie knew, who had come from the gutters. She also knew of how Hakeswill treated his men, including how he coerced their wives to have sex with him, but she had no intention of sharing this information with Anna Hakeswill. Anna, despite the odds, seemed to be happy with her husband, so it was quite possible that he was a completely different man with her than with those under his command. Carrie could usually tell when a woman was unhappy with her man, despite claims to the contrary, but Anna did not give the impression of being one of those women. At any rate, Anna was married to the man, for better or worse, so there was no useful point in passing along negative information about her husband**

**Obadiah Hakeswill had never bothered Carrie, nor had he had any particularly unpleasant dealings with Billy, so this made it easier to make friends with Anna. Despite being born a lady, she was not haughty as most such women had been in Carrie's experience. Carrie knew that Anna would likely be a good friend, especially considering what she'd been through. As she entered the tent encampment, she looked forward to the next day, when she could go visit her new friend.**

**That evening, after Billy had come home from a hard day's work, Carrie dished out their supper, then joined him in front of their tent to eat. It was the part of the day she enjoyed most, as they got to relax and eat dinner together as a family.**

"**So, how did your day go," Sergeant Billy Norris asked his wife and they ate. "Anything interesting happen today?"**

"**I met a woman at the market that invited me to visit her tomorrow," Carrie reported. "She's an Army wife and you'll never guess who she's married to."**

"**I reckon you're going to have to tell me then, if I'll never guess," Billy said, chuckling.**

"**It's Obadiah Hakeswill's wife!" Carrie told him. "I didn't even know he was married."**

"**Seems kind of surprising that any woman would take ol' Obadiah on, considerin' his reputation with the women in camp," Billy mused. "Nor is he a particularly handsome fellow. I'd be right curious to see what his woman looks like."**

"**She's rather plain, to be sure," Carrie admitted. "But she was real nice to me, so she was. And what's even more surprising is that she's an officer's daughter."**

"**Wonder how she ended up with Hakeswill, of all people, then?" Billy said. "Seems she could do better than that, no matter what she looked like."**

"**It seems she was ravished by a sepoy, so she was, and ended up with child," Carrie told him. "And her fine officer father put her out and she ended up having to live with that awful Mrs Stokes. Her baby died, so I can see how she ended up marrying a ranker, just to get away from her."**

"**But Hakeswill?" Billy repeated. "He's a tough bastard. I can't see any woman willingly taking up with him."**

"**Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so they say," Carrie said. "She seems very happy with him and she's great with child, so I'm guessing it's working out just fine for them."**

"**Well, now that I think of it, Hakeswill has been a mite easier to get along with lately," Billy said. "Not that he's ever gave me any real trouble with both of us being sergeants and all, though he's apt to remind me that he's been a sergeant much longer than I have. And I remember him quite some time ago suddenly deciding to have private quarters away from camp. I was wondering what he was up to then, but now it makes better sense - he's found him a woman."**

"**So you don't mind me going to visit Anna and being friends with her?" Carrie asked.**

"**Naw," Billy said. "Just be careful and don't let yourself be alone with Hakeswill, even for a minute."**

"**He's never bothered me before," she reminded her husband. "It's not likely he's going to start now."**

"**Just do as I ask and ease my mind," her husband said firmly. "I'd also like to meet Anna Hakeswill some time and see what kind of a woman she is for myself."**

"**Likely you'll get the chance, as I'll invite her to visit here as well," Carrie told him.**

**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

**Early the next morning, Sergeant Billy Norris spotted Obadiah Hakeswill arriving in camp to report for the day's duty. Quickly walking over to him, he said, "Hakeswill, I need to have a word with you."**

"**I expected you might," Hakeswill said laconically. Gesturing to the tent he now used as his office, he said, "Step in my office."**

**Once the two sergeants had entered the tent, Norris cleared his throat and said, "It seems that our wives have made friends and that your wife has invited mine to visit in your quarters." **

"**So?" Hakeswill replied. "I sees no problem with it. Your wife is a good woman and a good mother and will make a good friend for my Anna, she will."**

**After an awkward pause, Norris added, "I didn't even know you were married, Hakeswill."**

"**I keeps my business to myself, I do," he told the other sergeant, twitching briefly. "And I ain't been married that long."**

"**I told Carrie she could visit and could have your wife to visit our tent, but there's something we need to make clear first," Norris continued, with a slight tremor in his voice.**

"**Spit it out, man!" Hakeswill said irritably. "I have other things to get done today, I do."**

"**I've heard about you and some of the wives of the men under your command," Norris began. "I'm just warning you that if you dare to lay a hand on my wife…"**

"**I ain't going to do nothing with your wife, I won't," Hakeswill interrupted, twitching as he rolled his eyes. "If I'd have wanted her, I'd have had her already. Like I said, I respects her and she's the wife of a sergeant. Besides, she's my Anna's friend and I don't shit in my own backyard, mark my words."**

"**I just needed to make sure," Norris said lamely. "Carrie hasn't had an easy time of it with the other women here."**

"**Slags, all of them," Hakeswill spat. "Your Carrie is better than them women and is about the only woman I'd trust for my Anna to be friends with. She's not had an easy go of it in India, neither, she hasn't."**

"**I just needed to make sure, I did," Norris repeated. "I'm just looking out to protect my wife."**

"**Maybe I should be asking you the same thing," Hakeswill replied sourly. "Will my Anna be safe around you? Nothin' is more important to me than to keep her safe."**

"**Of course, she will!" Norris exclaimed. "I give you my word of honour."**

"**Nothin' more needs to be said, now, does it?" Hakeswill said quietly. "Now, I've got work to do, so you go on about your business and don't worry none about our womenfolk. They'll be fine."**

**After Norris had exited the tent, Hakeswill grinned malevolently to himself. It had never entered his mind to treat Carrie Norris as he did the wives of his men, but it suited him to keep Norris somewhat off balance. He'd never bothered the wives of men not under his command, and had no intentions of starting now. And, as he'd told Norris, the fact that Carrie Norris was Anna's friend was enough, in and of itself, to make him take a hands-off approach to her. Anna needed a female friend and Obadiah wanted to see her happy. It was as simple as that for him.**

**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/**

**About an hour after the men had headed of for duty, Carrie Norris and little Ben walked down the alley to where Anna Hakeswill said her quarters were located. As she made her way down the deserted narrow lane, she discovered the converted stable about halfway down on the left. It was quiet and secluded here, quite unlike the busy, noisy tent encampment Carried shared with her husband and son.**

**Anna opened the door almost as soon as Carrie had knocked upon it.**

"**Come in, come in," she said gaily, as she indicated a chair to Carrie. "Welcome to my home."**

**Carrie looked around at the small, tidy home, which now had wooden floors throughout, with a couple of braided rag rugs on the floors.**

"**Ben can sit on one of the rugs to play," Anna said, "They're nothing special, so there's no problem if he gets it dirty. Lord knows Obadiah does when he comes home with muddy boots."**

"**Did you make them yourself?" Carrie asked. "The workmanship is quite nice."**

"**Thank you," Anna beamed. "I did make them. Needlework was something my mother taught me from a very young age. That comes in quite handy as Obadiah is quite rough on his clothing."**

"**Oh, so is Billy," Carrie confided. "I'm constantly repairing his uniforms. Men!"**

"**I'm making Obadiah several new uniform shirts," Anna told her. "It's a surprise for his birthday in a couple of weeks." After a pause, she added, "I hope I can learn how to cook him something for his birthday, too, hopefully something not too complicated."**

"**I think we should start with a simple chicken stew," Carrie decided. "It's not too complicated and it's hard to ruin. We can get all the ingredients at the market."**

"**Why don't we go now?" Anna proposed. "Obadiah left me enough money for the fixings."**

**Nearly an hour later, the women returned with several kinds of vegetables, a freshly plucked chicken, and some spices. Obadiah had bought some basic kitchen utensils when he'd had the fireplace built, so there was a pot suited for making the stew in.**

**Carrie guided her through the steps: how to cut the vegetable and the chicken, when the add the seasonings, and so on. Before too long, Anna's first stew was simmering nicely over the fire.**

"**It will take awhile for it to cook, so we might as well sit and relax for awhile," Carrie said. "Just don't forget to stir it once and a awhile."**

"**Why don't I make us a cup of tea, and we can get started on your reading?" Anna suggested.**

"**I'd like that," Carrie said, smiling. **

**Anna went back into the bedroom and returned with a children's storybook. Holding it up, she told the other woman, "When I still lived with my father, I used to care for another officer's children from time to time and this is the book I used to read to them from. Why don't you see how you do with this and if you feel confident reading it, I've got some books that are more complicated."**

**Handing it to the other woman, she said, "Why don't you glance through it while I stir the pot?"**

**Carrie leafed through the pages of the book, stopping a few times, to sound out words. When Anna came back to sit down, she said, "I can read a good bit of this, but I'm not ready to move on to anything harder.**

"**Why don't we pick one story out to work on," Anna suggested. "We'll take them one by one until you feel confident to read ahead."**

"**All right," Carrie said.**

**For the next several minutes, Anna listened to Carrie read, helping her with the more difficult words.**

"**It would be much easier if so many words didn't have silent letters," Carrie grumbled. "Like, why does the word 'care' have an E on the end of it when we don't say the E?"**

"**English spelling doesn't make a lot of sense at times," Anna agreed. "But you're doing fine. You'll have it down before no time. You just have to practice every day until it becomes second nature to you."**

**Some time later Carrie said, "Why don't we taste the stew? It should be about ready now."**

"**Hmm, that's very good!" Carrie said, beaming. "You would have never thought this was your first time cooking."**

"**I just followed your directions," Anna said, "I'm not sure if I'd do it as well by myself."**

"**Just like you told me about reading, I'll tell you about cooking," Carrie said. "You just have to keep practicing."**

**At that moment, the door opened and in walked Obadiah. "Mmm, I smelled something good as soon as I turned the corner to the alley, I did," he said as he closed the door and kissed Anna on the cheek. "Thought I'd come home for lunch, just to see how you did." Glancing over to Carrie, he asked, twitching. "So, how'd she do?"**

"**Uh, she did real good, so she did, Sergeant Hakeswill," Carrie replied, somewhat nervous in the presence of Obadiah Hakeswill. His facial twitch was unnerving to her and it was hard for her to look him in the eye. "Why don't you try a bite," she offered, handing him the ladle.**

**He took a taste, then grinned widely. "This is real good and I'm going to eat some for lunch, I am." Turning to Carrie again, he said, "Why don't you and your boy sit down and eat with us. There's enough for all of us and there ain't no point in letting it go to waste."**

"**I really shouldn't," she demurred. "I should go back home and make sure Billy has something good for lunch."**

"**Oh, he's not there," Obadiah told her, well aware of her skittishness around him. "He and his men are still outside the town walls and won't come back until this evening. So you might as well eat with us, you should."**

"**All right, then," Carrie said, returning to her seat.**

**Hakeswill went into the bedroom to get the spare chair, so they'd all be able to sit around the table as Anna dished up the stew.**

"**I knew you'd be good at cooking, Anna," Obadiah said after he'd eaten a few bites. "This is as good as any I've ever eaten."**

"**I had a good teacher," Anna said firmly, glancing at Carrie with gratitude.**

"**That you did," Obadiah agreed, "I thanks you for helping my Anna today, I do."**

"**I was only too glad to help," she said, warming up to Obadiah after seeing the obvious affection he had for his wife. "I'll be teaching her how to cook other things as well, so I will."**

"**I look forward to eatin' what she makes," he replied. **

**At the conclusion of the meal, Carrie said, 'I've really enjoyed it, so I have, but I really have to go. It's about time that Ben had a nap before his father gets home."**

"**Come back anytime," Obadiah said, "You're always welcome here, you are."**

"**Thank you," she said, giving him a genuine smile. Looking back at Anna, she said, "We'll do this at my tent next time. How does Thursday sound?"**

"**Just fine," Anna said, "I'll see you then."**

**After she shut the door and turned back to Obadiah, who'd spooned up a second helping, he said, "I likes to see you looking all happy like that. It makes **_**me**_** happy, it does, to see you smile."**

"


	13. Jumping to the Wrong Conclusion

On the following Thursday morning, Anna Hakeswill rose early and walked with Obadiah to the army encampment for her first visit with Carrie Norris. Anna carried a bag with her sewing and knitting projects inside, as well as another book for Carrie.

"I'll meet you back at the Norris' tent at lunchtime, I will," Obadiah told Anna as they walked. "We don't have all that much to do today, so's I'll be able to eat lunch with you."

"That will be nice," she said, smiling. "We've not had lunch together in several days."

"And then I'll walk back home with you," he continued. "I wants you to get a nap this afternoon, I do, so's you don't tire yourself out. It's not that long until the baby comes and I expects you won't be getting much rest then."

"Oh, I'll be fine," Anna said, smiling. "I'm not sick, I'm just having a baby, Obadiah."

"I wants you to do as I say on this," he told her firmly, twitching briefly. "My mother lost a baby once, 'cos she worked herself too hard, and I won't see the same thing happen to you."

Anna had been with Obadiah long enough to know that anything that had to do with his mother was inviolate and sacred and that there was no point in arguing with him. Squeezing his hand gently, she said, "All right, love. I promise to take a nap this afternoon."

"I just want what's best for you and our baby, I do," he said, squeezing back. "And if we gets all we need done this morning, I'll take a nap with you."

"O-oh!" Anna said, giving him a shy grin. "Now I know why you wanted me to come home this afternoon for a nap! You're so devious, Obadiah."

With a wide feral grin, he said, chuckling, "You knows me too well, you do."

"Insatiable, that's what you are," she replied, returning his grin.

"I don't hear you complainin' none," he pointed out, twitching. "I seems to remember you askin' for more mostly every time."

"Ah, you have me there," Anna replied, blushing slightly.

"I'd like to have you right now," he growled. "Right up against that wall."

"Someone might see!" Anna admonished. "Better wait until this afternoon, love. It will give you something to look forward to."

"That it will," he agreed, twitching again.

A short time later, the Hakeswills arrived at the Norris tent, where Billy Norris was about to take leave of his family for the day.

He gave Obadiah an inscrutable look as the rawboned sergeant approach the tent with Anna.

"Hakeswill," he greeted laconically. His expression softened somewhat as he turned his gaze on Anna, who was indeed as plain as Carrie had described her. "You must be Mrs Hakeswill."

"Yes, I am," she said, with a shy smile. "I'm Anna Hakeswill."

"Nice to meet you," Billy Norris said. "I'm Sergeant Norris." He still could not imagine how she'd ended up with Hakeswill, despite her plain appearance.

"I'm pleased to meet you as well," Anna murmured, still holding Obadiah's hand.

Hakeswill leaned in and gave Anna a possessive kiss in front of Norris, then murmured in her ear. "Remember. I'll be back at lunchtime to walk home with you, I will."

"I'll be here," she said, kissing him one more time on the cheek before he and Sergeant Norris left to begin the day's duty, each going in different directions.

After the men had left, Anna and Carrie settled themselves on stools in front of the Norris tent for a nice visit.

"I brought my sewing and knitting along with me," Anna said. "I thought we could do that while we chat a bit."

"Good idea," Carrie agreed. "I need to make Ben some new clothes; he's growing like a weed, so he is."

"I've made the chicken stew a couple of times on my own and each time it gets better," Anna told her friend a few minutes later. "Obadiah really enjoys it."

"Good!" Carrie said. "We'll try something new today if you like."

"Obadiah wants me to go home and take a nap after lunch, so it might be better to wait until next time to try something else," Anna confided. "He's like an old mother hen, hovering over me, worrying about my health."

Carrie chuckled quietly, then said, "Billy was the same way when I was carrying Ben. He acted as if I were an eggshell about to break." Privately, Carrie was both surprised and amazed that Obadiah Hakeswill, of all people, would turn out to be a solicitous husband.

A couple of hours later, unbeknownst to the two sergeants' wives, who continued to chat happily as they sewed, a small group of privates' wives had gathered nearby. They'd met under a tree, quite some time after the two sergeants had left the area.

"It looks like that pathetic Carrie Norris finally found herself a friend," Susan Jones sneered, hands on hips. "I wonder where she met that one?"

"Who is she?" Abigail Miller asked. "Maybe she's a whore, too?"

"The bint is too ugly for that," Rachel Thompson said knowingly.

"She's nobody respectable if she allows herself to be seen with a trull like Carrie Norris," Abigail pointed out.

"She's got herself a bellyful," Susan noted. "I wonder whose bastard she's carrying."

"Maybe it's Obadiah Hakeswill's!" Rachel said, sniggering, with Susan joining in.

"Can you imagine the ugly brat the two of them would produce," Susan said, making a sour face. "I shudder to think of it."

Abigail didn't say anything, but just shivered, thinking of how lucky she was that Hakeswill hadn't knocked her up. "Ugh, you shouldn't even joke about Hakeswill. No woman deserves to have to bear his child, not even her. I think I'd kill myself, if it happened to me."

"I'm surprised it hasn't happened, knowing how he is with the camp women," Susan remarked quietly. Like Abigail Miller, she, too, had been subjected to Hakeswill's unwanted advances in the past, though not quite as often.

"Speak of the devil," Rachel said, pointing to where Obadiah Hakeswill was approaching the tent encampment.

They stepped back, now partially hidden by a tent, hoping he'd not head their way to harass them, but continuing to watch to see where he went. To their utter surprise, he ignored them and headed straight for where Carrie Norris was seated with her unknown pregnant friend.

"Did you see that?" Abigail hissed, aghast, when she saw the scrawny sergeant bend down and kiss Carrie's companion. "He kissed her!"

"Ugh," Susan said, shuddering in disgust. "I'd have to wash my mouth out with soap if it were me."

"Look at that!' Abigail exclaimed, slack jawed in shock. "She kissed him back. Willingly!"

"Seems I was right after all about who gave her that big belly," Rachel chortled. "Poor woman must be mad."

"He's mad, himself," Susan added. "So they're a perfect pair."

"Better her than me," Abigail vowed. "I wonder what's wrong with her to take up with the likes of him?"

"Wonder where he found her?" Rachel asked.

"Who cares?" Abigail shot back. "As long as he's not bothering me, I don't care what he does."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Ready to go home, Anna?" Obadiah asked his wife after greeting her with a kiss at the Norris tent. "I have the rest of the afternoon off to spend with you, I do."

"Yes, I believe so," Anna said. "I'm actually ready for a bit of a nap, I think."

"I knew you would be," he said confidently, twitching slightly. "See, I looks out for you, I do."

Leaning over to kiss him on the cheek she murmured, "And I love you for it." Turning to Carrie, she said, "I'll see you soon, at my quarters next time."

"I'll teach you how to cook something else then, so I will," Carrie promised. "I'll look forward to seeing you again."

After the couple had left Carrie Norris, Obadiah steered Anna toward the mess tent. "Let's eat before we go home, eh? I'm so hungry that I could nearly eat my boots."

"You don't want to do that, ugh," Anna said, laughing. "I suppose we'd best get you something to eat then."

They passed by close to where the other women huddled quietly, trying to avoid catching Hakeswill's attention. Anna did not pay any attention to these women, but after they'd passed by, Obadiah looked over his shoulder at them with a feral grin, letting them know they'd not escaped his notice. Keen powers of observation had helped the unpopular sergeant survive for so many years in the army.

No one paid the Hakeswills any attention as they entered the mess tent, as their marriage was now old news to the men. However, no one greeted them, nor invited them to sit down. After getting their food, the couple took a seat in a deserted corner and began to eat.

Obadiah Hakeswill didn't care a thing about this, as he was well used to eating alone most of the time since joining the army. He would be perfectly happy to share no one's company but Anna's, because she was all he needed. But he thought to himself that it was a good thing that Anna had now befriended Carrie Norris. Knowing she had a good, trustworthy friend would allow Obadiah to worry less about Anna when he had to be away from her for extended periods of time on duty.

"You ready to go back home?" Hakeswill asked a few minutes later after he'd finished his meal.

"Yes, I think so," Anna replied. "The food has made me rather drowsy."

"Not too drowsy, are you, eh?" Obadiah asked. "Been looking forward to having you all morning, I have."

"No, not too drowsy for that," she said, chuckling. "You're incorrigible, Obadiah. But that's part of why I love you, I suppose."

"What are we waitin' for then?" he said, twitching, as they stepped out of the mess tent. "Let's go."

After leaving the tent, the couple turned to the left to head back to their quarters. Obadiah eagerly grabbed Anna's hand and was nearly pulling her along. So intent was he on spending the afternoon in bed with Anna, that he was not monitoring his surroundings as closely as he usually did. Consequently, he did not notice Richard Sharpe approaching the mess tent from the other direction behind him.

Sergeant Richard Sharpe had been hard at work all morning at the armoury and had decided to slip down and get his lunch from the mess to bring back to the armoury. Major Stokes had left to have lunch at home with his wife some time before, so Sharpe wanted to get his food and get back as quickly as possible.

Sharpe had only recently returned from extended detached duty and had found the records at the armoury in complete disarray, as Major Stokes had not had success in finding a suitable temporary replacement for Sharpe in his absence. Thus, Sergeant Sharpe had spent the last few days just trying to set things back to rights. He'd been so busy since arriving back in Seringapatam, that he'd seen little beyond the armoury walls and his bed back at his quarters.

Not far from the mess, he turned a corner just in time to see Obadiah Hakeswill pulling a pregnant woman down the street. Sharpe's eyes narrowed in fury at the sight of the evil sergeant dragging the poor woman away to take her against her will. The blond sergeant was well familiar with how he blackmailed the wives of his men into having sex with him, but to attempt to forcibly rape a heavily pregnant woman in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses was a new low for him. Sharpe also found it quite odd that no one was paying any attention or had made any move to help the woman. The fact that she was not screaming for help went unnoticed by Sharpe, as it never once entered his mind that the woman was with Hakeswill of her own free will.

But there wasn't any way Sharpe was going to let this happen. He wouldn't just stand there and allow a helpless woman to be violated by such a sorry excuse for a man, not so long as he still had breath in his body.

Richard Sharpe sprinted forward to catch up, since Hakeswill and the unfortunate woman were nearly out of sight. He reached the Hakeswills just as they entered the street. Not stopping to consider his actions, Sharpe acted out of pure instinct. After forcibly separating Hakeswill from Anna by pulling her hand from Obadiah's grasp, he blindsided Hakeswill with a sucker punch to his jaw, knocking him flat on his arse.

His ire not spent, Sharpe kicked the other man several times, then roared, "Have you no decency at all, man? Raping a pregnant woman? I'll make sure you're brought up on charges this time!"

Turning to Anna, he asked, "Are you all right, miss? Did he hurt you?" The sour looking woman looked somewhat familiar to Sharpe, but he couldn't quite place her.

"How _dare_ you!" Anna spat, her eyes narrowed in utter revulsion. "If anyone should be brought up on charges, it is you!" She emphasized her remarks by slapping him hard across the face.

Sharpe was nonplussed, as it dawned on him that this plain looking woman actually welcomed Hakeswill's attention. He looked at her more closely and suddenly recognized her. She was the unpleasant woman he'd encountered months earlier at the Stokes home.

She'd had a half-caste baby then and she was pregnant now - and willing to spread her legs for the likes of Obadiah Hakeswill. Obviously a whore, and one not worth trying to save.

Rubbing his still-stinging face, he muttered, "I'll leave you to it, then. You're obviously a glutton for punishment."

By this time, Obadiah had regained his feet and move to stand protectively in front on Anna. Sporting a malevolent grin, he twitched briefly, then rumbled, "Oh, that was a mistake Sharpie, truly it was. I'd be watchin' my back, if I were you, I would."

"Is that a threat, Obadiah?" Sharpe demanded, glaring at the other man.

"No, Sharpie," Hakeswill said, twitching again. "It's a promise, make no bones about it." Taking Anna's hand, he said, "Let's go, missy. We've got business elsewhere, we do."

"Gladly!" Anna exclaimed, giving Richard Sharpe a last scornful glare.

The Hakeswills moved off, leaving Richard Sharpe still shaking his head. Turning to go back about his business, he muttered to himself, "Stupid bint; she's made her bed, now she'll have to lie in it."

Quite some time later, as the Hakeswills relaxed in bed together, Richard Sharpe long forgotten, Obadiah lazily rubbed Anna's pregnant belly. "Won't be long now," he said. "We'll have us a little 'un before we know it."

"I can hardly wait," she said, smiling. Turning to face her husband, she said, "You know, we need to decide on a name for the baby. If it's a girl, I think I'd like to name her Caroline, after my mother."

"That's a nice name, it is," Obadiah remarked. "My mother was named Bridget, but they called her Biddy for short."

"Then we could name her Caroline Bridget," Anna proposed. "Many people are giving their children middle names nowadays."

"Good idea," he agreed. "That way we remember both our mothers, we do."

"What about a boy?" Anna asked. "I certainly don't want to name any child of mine after my father."

"And I have no idea who my father was, see?" Obadiah said. "So we won't be naming any boys after anyone."

"Any ideas?" Anna said, frowning in concentration.

"I wants to name a boy Barabbas, I do," Obadiah told her, twitching.

"Barabbas?" Anna said, mystified. "That's from the Bible. How did you come to pick that name?"

"So's both of our names," he pointed out. "I picked it 'cos the Bible Barabbas cheated death - he couldn't die. Kind of like me, he was." Obadiah absent-mindedly rubbed his scarred neck, as if to underline his point.

"All right, Obadiah," Anna said gently, knowing that he'd given the matter some thought. "We'll name the baby Barabbas if it's a boy. We can call him Barry for short."

Leaning over to give her a kiss, he said, "Good. It's settled then."


	14. Eliminating a Problem

A couple of weeks later, Obadiah Hakeswill and his men were assigned to evening patrol duty for a week. Because Anna's time was nearly at hand, Obadiah engaged the services of a teenage Indian girl to stay with Anna in the evenings while he was away, not wanting to leave her entirely by herself.

Normally, Obadiah would be grousing about pulling evening duty, but he didn't mind this time as it gave him more opportunities for stealing, with the cover of darkness aiding him. With the baby almost here, Obadiah knew he had to step up his efforts to find more plunder. Tonight was Saturday and most of the officers would be out seeking entertainment or having parties at home. He knew there would likely be several opportunities for a profitable burglary and being on patrol duty gave him the perfect excuse to be out and about in the areas where the officers' quarters were.

He and Anna had eaten a quiet dinner before he had to go on duty. As he went into the bedroom to put his uniform jacket back on, he said to her, "Are you sure you'll be all right here by yourself? I could take you to stay with Carrie Norris while I'm gone."

"I'll be fine," Anna assured him. "Padma will be here shortly and we've decided to spend the evening together doing some sewing. We'll be fine. If I need anything, Padma will go find Carrie and Sergeant Norris will be at home tonight as well."

"I can't help but worry, missy," Obadiah said, twitching. "It's my nature, it is."

"I'll see you around midnight, then?" she asked, as he got his equipment, ready to leave.

"As near as I can get," he promised.

"I'll be waiting up for you," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

At that moment, a knock came at the door. Hakeswill opened it to find the Indian girl, Padma standing there.

"Oh, there you are!" Anna called out. "Do come in!"

"I'll be going, then," Obadiah said. "Be back as soon as I can, I will."

"Stay safe," Anna said, kissing him goodbye just before he went out the door.

"Don't worry," he said, twitching. "I always looks out for myself. Been doing it since I was twelve, I have."

After leaving Anna, Hakeswill hurried off to the tent encampment to assign each of his men to a zone to patrol. He found his men finishing up their suppers and preparing for duty. After the men fell in, he assigned each one to a specific zone, making sure his cronies would be in the zones closest to his, if he decided he needed their help in breaking in to an officer's house.

"I'll be on Officer's Row, if any of you buggers needs to report something to me," Hakeswill told the group. "Grimsby will be at the opposite end, near the city gates, if any of you lazy sods on that end needs to report something."

Once the men nodded in acknowledgment, he added, "You'll be relieved at midnight by the next detail. Move out."

The evening was largely uneventful for Sergeant Hakeswill. Prowling through the alleys adjacent to the homes on Officers' Row, the scrawny sergeant remained unnoticed by those out and about in the main street. He was able to quietly slip into several places, either climbing in through unlocked windows, or by using the set of lock picks he always carried with him. Hakeswill had wasted no time getting what he was looking for and was in and out in less than five minutes, on the average. He went straight for the money, not bothering to try to steal anything else, not wanting to weigh himself down. He'd done this sort of thing so many times in the past, that he now had it down to a science.

Obadiah would have liked to have broken into Richard Sharpe's rooms, but Sharpie lived in a rooming house closer to headquarters, where there was always someone coming and going. He was certain that the blond sergeant had squirreled away a sizable amount of plunder, because the amount of money Sharpe was apparently spending couldn't be explained by simply fiddling with the books at the armoury.

No, he had to have another source of funds, and Obadiah strongly suspected that Sharpie was the one who'd killed the Tippoo months before and taken his jewels. But even though he couldn't ransack the upstart sergeant's quarters at the present time, Hakeswill was biding his time, waiting for just the right opportunity to lay his hands on those jewels and set himself and Anna up for life.

About an hour before midnight, Obadiah heard someone stumbling through the alley toward him. He didn't suspect a bandit, as the person was making too much noise for that. He heard the intruder curse drunkenly as he knocked over a couple of rubbish bins near the mouth of the alley.

Staying in the shadows, the lean sergeant waited to see what he'd be dealing with.

A malevolent grin appeared on his face as a drunken officer, who'd obviously lost his way, stumbled into view. Oh, this one was going to be easy pickings, Obadiah thought to himself as the dishevelled officer staggered closer. He became almost euphoric when he recognized the officer as Horace Perkins; Anna's father.

The perfect opportunity had just presented itself for Obadiah to seek revenge on Anna's behalf for what her father had done to her. As he approached the officer a plan quickly formulated in his mind on just how to carry it out.

Sidling up to the drunken man, he saluted smartly and asked, "Can I help you, sir? You seems to have lost your way, you have."

Perkins looked blearily at Hakeswill. He had no idea that his daughter had married this man, as he'd not had any contact with her since that day they'd encountered one another at the marketplace.

"Sergeant?" he slurred. Though his vision had blurred with intoxication, he still could make out the prominent white stripes on Hakeswill's sleeves. "Where am I? I'm trying to go home."

"In an alley, you are, sir," Hakeswill said, twitching with barely suppressed glee. "I can help you get home, sir, if you just tells me where that is."

"I live two doors down from Colonel Gore, toward the river," Perkins told the malicious sergeant. Turning his head suddenly away from Hakeswill, he sunk to his knees and began vomiting onto the ground.

Hakeswill waited until the inebriated officer had finished, then said, "You was going the wrong way, you were, sir. But I'll get you to the right place, mark my words."

"I'm much obliged, Sergeant," Perkins mumbled, as Hakeswill took his arm and half-guided, half-dragged the man in the right direction.

About fifteen minutes later, the two men arrived at the house in question, stopping twice so Perkins could throw up again. They didn't encounter anyone along the way, as the Saturday night revellers had gathered one street over.

As Hakeswill opened the door to the small dwelling, he said, "I'd best help you get inside and get to bed, I should, sir."

Perkins mumbled something unintelligible as he attempted to step over the threshold. He stumbled and fell flat on his face, lying sprawled in the entryway.

Hakeswill twitched impatiently as he yanked the rubber-limbed officer back to his feet. He dragged him inside, while kicking the door shut with his foot, then let him fall again to the floor.

After lighting a couple of candle sconces on the wall, he looked around until he found the other man's bedroom at the end of the hall. Obadiah found another sconce inside the bedroom and lit that before going back to where Horace Perkins was now snoring on the floor.

"It's almost too easy," he said to himself, twitching, as he hauled the intoxicated man to the bedroom where he unceremoniously dumped him onto the bed fully clothed.

"Time to say goodbye, you bleedin' sorry excuse for a father," Hakeswill rumbled. "You ain't never going to get the chance to hurt my Anna ever again, you won't."

By this time Perkins had passed out, so he never heard Obadiah's words, nor did he struggle much when the rawboned sergeant grabbed a pillow and put it over his face. As Hakeswill pressed the pillow down hard, Perkins thrashed around weakly for a short time, but it wasn't long before he went still. After a few minutes, Hakeswill removed the pillow then leaned close to make sure the officer was dead.

Satisfied with the job he'd done, Obadiah looked down in satisfaction at the dead man, before putting the pillow under his head. He figured that when Perkins was discovered, it would be assumed that the man's heart had given out from the excessive drinking, as the man smelled like a brewery. He turned to leave, not taking anything from the room, because he didn't want anyone to suspect the death was anything other than natural causes. Hakeswill knew that Anna would get anything of value that her father owned, in any instance, as the next of kin.

After blowing out the candles as he retraced his steps to the door, the sergeant opened it a crack to peer outside to make sure no one was around before stepping outside. Once he was certain, he quickly slipped out and into the nearest alley to make his way back to the army encampment, as it was nearly midnight.

Obadiah had no intention of telling Anna what he'd done on her behalf, figuring it would be easier for her if she believed her father had died of natural causes. He wasn't ashamed of what he'd done, as he'd do anything he thought necessary to protect his beloved wife, but knew that it was better if she didn't know.

Sergeant Billy Norris, along with his men, was waiting for Hakeswill as he returned to the camp.

"Anything to report?" Norris asked.

"Not a thing," Hakeswill said, twitching. "Quiet as a churchyard, it is."

"Good," Norris said, "I didn't fancy having any excitement going on tonight, not at all."

"Patrol is all yours then," Hakeswill said. "I'm going home."

Obadiah arrived back home a short time later, where he found Anna sitting at the table, struggling to stay awake. The Indian girl, Padma, was asleep, curled up on a mat on the floor.

He closed the door carefully, so as not to startle Anna. Walking over to the sleeping Indian girl, he nudged her gently with his boot. "Wake up, missy," he murmured lowly. "Time for you to go."

Padma opened her eyes to see the scrawny sergeant standing over her. She immediately rolled into a sitting position, eager to leave as she was thoroughly intimidated by Obadiah Hakeswill.

Once she'd gained her feet, Obadiah handed her a couple of coins, telling her to return the same time the next night.

After the young girl had left, he went to Anna and softly kissed her on the cheek. "I'm home, love," he murmured. "Let's go to bed."

Anna smiled up wearily at him, "I promised I'd wait up for you."

"And so you did," he replied. "But you needs to get some rest now, and so do I."

Anna was already fast asleep by the time Obadiah removed his uniform and slipped into bed beside her a few minutes later. He fell asleep shortly thereafter, his conscience untroubled by what he'd done that evening.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

_Two days later_

Major Stokes sat at his desk impatiently drumming his fingers. He'd scheduled a meeting with Captain Perkins this morning and the man had the effrontery to be a half hour late. Perkins was usually punctual when they had meetings, so the Major couldn't figure out why he'd not shown up.

Calling out to Richard Sharpe, who was in the anteroom doing paperwork, he said, "Sergeant Sharpe, you did tell Captain Perkins to be here at ten, did you not?"

"Yes, sir," the blond sergeant affirmed. "And he said he looked forward to seeing you."

"Now that I think about it, I didn't see him in church yesterday, either," Stoke said, frowning. "Why don't you go over to his quarters, Sharpe, and see if he's all right."

"Right away, sir," Sharpe replied, turning to carry out the Major's order.

There was no reply when Sergeant Sharpe knocked on Perkins door a short time later. Standing there for a long moment in indecision, he finally tried the door and found that it was not locked.

"Captain Perkins?" Sharpe called out loudly as he stood hesitating in the doorway. When no reply came, his gut instinct told him that something was wrong, so he moved further into the house, looking around.

He saw that the door at the end of the hallway was ajar, so he went to look inside. He saw Perkins almost immediately. It was obvious that he was dead, as rigour had set in and he'd already begun to stink in the hot Indian climate.

"Oh, bloody hell," Sharpe swore under his breath as he looked at the officer, whose jacket was still flecked with bits of vomit. He didn't touch the man, but it appeared to him as if the man's heart had simply given out. Sharpe knew the man had a reputation for being too fond of strong drink, so he'd apparently drank himself to death.

Leaving Perkins just as he'd found him, Sharpe hurried back to the armoury to report what he'd discovered. No sooner had he opened the door to the armoury, than Major Stokes called out, "Sharpe? Is that you? Did you find Perkins, then?"

"I found him," Sharpe said heavily as he entered the Major's office."

"So where is he then?" Stokes demanded. "Find him with a _bibbi_, did you?"

"No, sir," Sharpe replied, sighing. "I found him dead."

"Dead, you say?" Stokes said, frowning in consternation. "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure, sir," the sergeant replied wearily. "He was stiff as a board."

"I suppose he won't be attending my meeting, then," Stokes said in a weak attempt at levity.

Sharpe rolled his eyes, but did not comment, waiting for his superior to continue.

"How did he die, could you tell?" Stokes asked a moment later. "Was he murdered?"

"No, sir," Sharpe replied. "At least I don't think so. I think the man just drank himself to death and his heart gave out. He still had vomit on his uniform from when he'd sicked up."

"Pity," Stokes observed noncommittally. "Send a detail over to the house to get the body, and have one of the doctors have a look at it. Then find the chaplain and tell him he'll be conducting a funeral."

"Right away, sir," Sharpe acknowledged. "Didn't he have a daughter who needs to be notified?"

Major Stokes frowned, heaving a loud sigh. "Yes, his daughter Anna lived with us for several months. But I've not seen her since she chose to move out without telling us. I have no idea where she lives now." After a moment, he reluctantly added, "But she needs to be notified of her father's death, even though they were estranged."

"I saw her one day a couple of weeks ago," Sharpe told him, grimacing at the memory. "She was in the company of Sergeant Hakeswill."

"Hakeswill?" Stokes repeated. "Isn't he that odd fellow with the twitch?"

"That's the one," Sharpe said with a sour expression. "Evil bastard, he is."

"Do you think Sergeant Hakeswill might know where Anna lives?" Stokes asked.

"It might be a good place to start," Sharpe said. "They seemed right friendly when I saw them together."

"I'll do it myself," Major Stokes said, feeling uncharacteristically charitable toward the newly orphaned young woman. "You have enough to do, Sharpe, without having to track her down as well."

"Thank you, sir," Sharpe said, obviously relieved. He had not looked forward to having to tell the unpleasant woman that her father had died, especially if she happened to be in Hakeswill's company yet again.

A short time later Major Stokes strolled into the enlisted men's encampment, which wasn't all that far from the armoury.

He didn't see the scrawny, bald-headed Hakeswill as he entered the area, so he approached a corporal who had just emerged from a tent.

"Corporal, where might I find Sergeant Hakeswill?" he asked the enlisted man.

"He went back to his quarters to have lunch, sir," Corporal Grimsby told him.

"Where might that be?" Stokes asked.

After Grimsby gave him directions, Stokes set off, a bit put out that Hakeswill wasn't where he'd expected to find him. And if the sergeant didn't know where to find Anna Perkins, he would be even more exasperated.

He arrived at the converted stable a short time later, knocking vigorously at the door.

"Keep yer britches on, I'm coming," Obadiah Hakeswill called out irritably from the other side of the closed door.

A moment later the door was yanked open and Stokes came face to face with Obadiah Hakeswill

"Sorry, sir, I thought it was one of my men coming to disturb my lunch, I did," Hakeswill said, with feigned contrition. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find a woman named Anna Perkins," Stokes said. "Sergeant Sharpe told me that he'd seen her once in your company."

Hakeswill had a good idea why Stokes was here, so he decided to play along. "I should know where she's at, sir," he told the officer, twitching slightly. "She's my wife. She's Anna Hakeswill now."

Stokes looked at Hakeswill with one eyebrow raised in surprise. At least he now knew why his former houseguest had deserted his home; she'd found herself a husband, such as it was. He knew he shouldn't be surprised - a woman as homely as Anna Perkins was and with such a sour disposition probably couldn't do any better than the twitching sergeant who stood before him.

Remembering what he'd come here for, he said, "I'm afraid I have some bad news for Mrs Hakeswill."

"Who's at the door, Obadiah?" a woman's voice called out from inside the building.

"It's Major Stokes," Hakeswill reported. "He came here with some news for you."

Opening the door open a bit wider, Hakeswill said, "Why don't you come in, sir, so's you can give my Anna your news."

As Major Stokes stepped into the Hakeswill home, he was confronted by a hugely pregnant Anna glaring balefully at him. "What do you want with me?" she said suspiciously, moving to stand closer to her husband, who put an arm around her and drew her close.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Hakeswill, but I have bad news for you," he began. "I'm afraid your father has died."

Anna blinked twice, which was the closest she came to having an emotional reaction to the officer's words. Pressing her lips together tightly, she said, "When did this happen? How did he die."

"Sergeant Sharpe found him dead in his bed this morning," Stokes explained. "I sent him over there when Captain Perkins did not appear for a scheduled meeting." Taking a deep breath, he said, "It seems as if his heart gave out on him."

"I see," Anna said, her voice steady and quiet.

"The chaplain will be in contact with you about the funeral," Stokes told her. "You and Sergeant Hakeswill may go to the house whenever you feel ready and take whatever belongings of his you wish to keep."

"Thank you, Major, for coming to tell us, sir," Hakeswill said, walking to open the door again. "Mrs Hakeswill is in a delicate condition, see, and needs her rest now, she does."

"Oh, yes, of course," Stokes said, suddenly feeling quite uncomfortable. Before leaving, he said, "My condolences on your loss."

After shutting the door behind Stokes, Obadiah took Anna in his arms and kissed her.

"I should be glad he's gone," Anna said as he continued to gently rub her back. "But I regret that now I'll never have the chance to reconcile with him."

"Don't worry, missy," Obadiah murmured. "I'll always take care of you, I promise."

.


	15. A Fine Haul and a Fine Beginning

Obadiah Hakeswill continued to comfort his wife for several minutes after Major Stokes had taken his leave of them. To his relief, she collected herself fairly quickly.

Moving away from him, she said, "I'm all right Obadiah. It was just an unexpected shock, that's all. I expected him to outlive us all. I thought he was too miserable to die."

Hakeswill chucked briefly at this. "Apparently not, missy."

Turning to the fireplace, where some stew was warming, Anna said, "Why don't we eat our lunch. I'll have to go to the house and go through his things and I certainly don't want to do it on an empty stomach."

"Right you are, love," he said, seating himself at the table, ready to eat. Obadiah had a hearty appetite, satisfied with himself for having pulled off yet another successful scheme. He also looked forward to going through Perkins' quarters, knowing he'd come away with a fine haul.

Anna was pensive as she dished up the food for them, then sat down to eat. Obadiah let her ruminate, knowing she had to work out her father's sudden death on her own.

At the close of the meal, he said, twitching briefly. "We needs to go over to your father's quarters right away before it's stripped clean of everything. Don't worry about cleaning up after we eat - you can do that later."

"I suppose you're right," Anna said. "I imagine they must have removed his body by now."

"Good meal, missy," Obadiah said, burping as he pushed away from the table. "Let's go."

"I'm ready," Anna assured him, grabbing her bonnet before they went out the door.

As the couple approached Anna's former home, she clutched Obadiah's arm tightly, pausing at the door.

"Do you want me to go in first, missy, and make sure nobody's inside?" he asked gently. He figured she'd not want to see her father's dead body. Obadiah hadn't left any marks on Perkins' body, but he knew Anna had not seen death like he had, so he wanted to protect her feelings in any way he could.

"If you don't mind," she said quietly.

"I'll be right back," he said, opening the door. After ascertaining that the body had been taken away, he came back to collect Anna. "It's all clear. We're alone."

Anna looked around nervously as she stepped inside, as if she'd never seen the place before. It had never really felt like home to her - England was home. At least it was until she'd met Obadiah. Now, home was wherever Obadiah was.

:Where do you want to start?" Obadiah asked her.

"The bedroom, I think," she replied absently. As they entered the bedroom, Anna went to her father's wardrobe to see what she could salvage of her his clothing to supplement Obadiah's wardrobe. Horace Perkins had been taller and heavier than Obadiah Hakeswill, but Anna figured she could cut the shirts down to fit her husband.

"I'll look through the chest while you do that," Obadiah said as he pulled the top drawer open and began to rifle through the contents. His search was thorough and systematic, a skill he'd learned through years of plundering the bodies of dead enemy soldiers. As he pulled out several pairs of stockings to take home with him, he came upon a hard object wrapped in linen. Curious, he unwrapped the cloth to find a miniature portrait surrounded by a gold frame. A smile came to his face as he turned it over and saw that it was of Anna, perhaps five years younger than she was now.

Walking over to Anna, who was still going through her father's clothes, he said, "Look what I found, missy."

Anna looked up to see Obadiah holding out the miniature to her. "Oh, my," she breathed. "He kept it! I remember when this was done, not long before we left England. I had assumed he'd discarded it after he'd thrown me out."

"It's beautiful, missy," Obadiah told her, twitching. "I wants to carry it with me all the time, so's I can have a bit of you with me always, no matter where I go."

"I'd like that very much," Anna smiled. "I just wish I had one of you."

"Maybe I'll have one done of me one day, I will," he said as he slipped the portrait into his pocket, then turned back to continue searching through the chest,

"Perhaps," she said, smiling, as she reached into the wardrobe to pull out a pair of nearly-new boots. "Too bad these aren't your size, Obadiah. They look as if Father never wore them."

"Bring them along, anyway," he ordered. "I probably can trade them for a pair in my size. I could use a new pair, too, 'cos the sole is coming loose on the ones I have now. Be nice to have another pair, it would."

A moment later, Anna pulled out a finely-made officer's sword. "Look at this, Obadiah."

Taking the sword from her, he examined it carefully from hilt to tip. "Always wanted a sword like this, I have," he said.

Anna smiled at her husband, seeing his almost childish delight in the sword.

After laying the sword aside, Hakeswill opened another drawer to find a rectangular wooden case. Eagerly opening it, he found a matched pair of pistols. He picked one up, pleased to feel how well-balanced it felt in his hand.

"Look at this, missy," he said, holding it up for Anna to see. "There's one for me and one for you. One day soon, I'll be teachin' you how to use it, too. Probably will wait until after the baby is born, I should."

"I don't need a pistol, Obadiah," Anna said quietly. "I have you to protect me."

"You needs something for when I'm off on duty," he insisted, twitching. "I'll feel better knowing you can look after yourself some when I'm away. You'll do as I say and learn how to handle this pistol proper, you will."

"All right, Obadiah," Anna conceded meekly, knowing this was important to him. "I'll do as you say."

"That's my girl," Obadiah replied, smiling at her indulgently.

Reaching back into the drawer, he found a smaller box, which contained several sets of cufflinks and a gold pocket watch. Grinning in delight, he stuck the watch in his pocket and set the cufflinks to the side to sell.

Pulling the watch out again, he examined it more closely, pleased by the fine workmanship. This was something he could pass on to a son some day, but, for now, Obadiah would use it himself..

Looking inside the drawer again, he found a large velvet pouch he'd missed on the first survey. After loosening the string that held it closed, he poked greedy fingers inside to find it stuffed full of coins. By his estimation, there had to be about 150 to 200 pounds in the bag, a very tidy sum, indeed. It would give him and Anna a substantial nest egg. Without hesitation, he quickly stuffed it into his haversack to squirrel away later.

Meanwhile, Anna was searching through the nightstand by her father's bed. Nestled among typical personal items, she found a small rectangular box. She drew her breath in sharply after she opened it and viewed the contents. "Oh, my," she breathed. "I never thought I'd see these again."

"What is it, Anna?" Obadiah asked, coming closer.

"It's one of my mother's favourite rings and one of her brooches," Anna replied. She held up a gold ring with a large round amethyst, then showed him the matching brooch.

"That's your jewellery now," he said. Taking the ring from her, he took her right hand and slipped it on her. "Looks nice on you, it does. I'm sure your mum would have wanted you to have it."

"It was her birthstone," Anna told him. "Her birthday was in February, like yours." Slipping the brooch into her pocket, she added, "I'll save this to wear on special occasions. It's too nice to wear for every day."

"Smart idea, missy," he agreed, twitching. "It's never a good idea to let everyone know what you got. I'd not even tell Carrie about it or about the money I found, if I were you. The less people know, the better."

"Where did you find the money?" she asked.

"In that chest of drawers over there, I did," he reported.

"Oh, that's just his spending money," she told him. "He has a strongbox, where he'd squirreled away much more money in case of emergency."

"Why didn't you say so, missy?" Obadiah exclaimed, twitching again. "We should have searched that first. Where is the bleedin' thing, Anna?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm still in shock about my father's death that I just forgot about it. His strongbox should be at the bottom of his wardrobe - at least it was when I still lived here."

Obadiah immediately checked the wardrobe and found the strongbox under a pile of shoes. "Where's the key?" he demanded, rattling the padlock in frustration.

"There's a false bottom in the nightstand," Anna reported. "Let me check there." A moment later, she held up the key triumphantly.

"Give it here," Obadiah ordered. He quickly opened the strongbox to find another pouch containing several gemstones, mainly sapphires. A larger bag proved to contain a much larger sum of money, just as Anna had predicted.

"Bloody hell," Obadiah breathed, his eyes bulging at the sight of it. "There must be at least a thousand pounds here. We're set for years, I'd say. Our baby will have everything he needs - and the best of it at that." He leaned over and gave her an enthusiastic kiss.

After a quick search of the other rooms, the couple headed home with the more important items, so Anna could have a nap. Once she was settled in comfortably at home, Obadiah went to camp to get a couple of his hand-picked cronies to help him cart away some of the larger items.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Early the next morning, Anna and Obadiah stood hand in hand in front of the open grave at the small army cemetery down by the river. The chaplain who'd married them conducted the brief service which was attended by most of his fellow officers.

Anna had been oblivious to the many raised eyebrows that greeted her as she entered the cemetery on Obadiah's arm. Most of the officers had heard of Anna's estrangement from her father because she'd had a half-caste baby out of wedlock, but seeing her turn up heavily pregnant on the arm of a ranker with obvious gutter origins had set tongues wagging anew. Some recognized Obadiah Hakeswill and wondered how he'd ended up with Anna Perkins, still an officer's daughter, despite her indiscretions.

Hakeswill, however, was fully aware of the stares and curious glances coming their way. He lifted his chin in a pugnacious, challenging manner, silently daring any of the gathered officers to make a comment. As they took their place in front of the open grave, the scrawny sergeant drew his wife closer in a protective gesture - Anna was his and there was nothing any of these Jack Pudding officers could do about it.

Fortunately, the service was mercifully brief. As soon as it was over, Obadiah quickly herded Anna out of the cemetery, wanting to spare her any possible discomfort. No sooner had they exited the cemetery than murmuring voices began to gossip.

Major Stokes, accompanied by Sergeant Richard Sharpe, stood off to one side as he watched the Hakeswills leave the cemetery. Shaking his head slowly, he said to Sharpe, "She was quite a trial for my wife when we took her in, so headstrong and willful, but I never imagined that she would end up married to a man like that."

"She'd need to be headstrong and willful to put up with Hakeswill," Sharpe observed sourly. "Obadiah's an evil bastard that I wouldn't wish on any woman, even her."

"Well, Anna made her choice," Stokes casually observed. "And now she'll have to live with the consequences of that choice. She's not my daughter nor my responsibility, so I wash my hands of the entire matter."

Richard Sharpe didn't respond, but he couldn't help having a suspicious feeling about Horace Perkins' death that had crept up the moment he'd learned that Anna had married Obadiah Hakeswill. If the doctor hadn't confirmed that Perkins had died of natural causes, the blond sergeant wouldn't have hesitated to voice those suspicions.

Sharpe wouldn't have put it past Hakeswill to have murdered Horace Perkins just to get his hands on the man's money and belongings. Even after the doctor's determination that it was a natural death, Sharpe couldn't help but continue to feel uncomfortable about the entire matter. It was a gut feeling that he couldn't quite banish.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"I don't feel so well, Obadiah," Anna said wearily after they'd returned home. She sank down into the upholstered chair that Obadiah had brought from her father's quarters the night before.

"What's wrong, Anna?" he asked, his brow knitting in concern. "I think you're all worn out from going through your father's things and the funeral, eh?"

"I think I might be going into labour, actually," Anna said calmly. "I feel like I did before I had Joseph."

"Bloody hell!" Hakeswill swore, twitching. "You needs to get into bed right away, missy, you do."

"I'll be all right for awhile here in the chair, I think," she serenely assured him. "But I do need you to go find the midwife now."

"I'll do that," he promised, twitching again in agitation. "I think I'll stop by camp first and get Carrie Norris to come sit with you while I go find the midwife, eh?"

"That's a good idea, Obadiah," Anna said, reaching for his hand to squeeze, smiling up at him. "Just think! By this time tomorrow, we'll have our baby with us!"

He gave her a tentative smile, then said, "I'd best go and get Carrie over here, quick as she can."

"All right," Anna said. "Go ahead now and I'll be all right until you get back."

After Obadiah had hurried off, Anna went into the bedroom and stripped off her clothes, then put on her oldest shift. She spread towels out across the bed in preparation for her labour and just as she was done, her water broke.

Meanwhile, Hakeswill had sprinted nearly all the way to camp. He slowed down to a brisk walk once in camp, not wanting to attract the attention of his men, heading directly to the Norris tent. He found Carrie Norris sitting in front of her tent, eating lunch with her husband and son.

"It's Anna!" he said, twitching as he reached the tent. "She's about to have the baby, she is, and needs you there right away! I'm going to go find the midwife."

"All right," Carrie said, rising. "I'm heading there now, so I am."

"I'll be back as soon as I gets the midwife," the bald sergeant said, before hurrying off to find the woman.

Turning to Billy, Carrie said, "Can you watch Ben while I'm gone? I'm not sure how long I'll be, but it shouldn't be too bad, considering this isn't her first baby."

"Of course I will," he said. "You'd better be off, then, so she doesn't have that baby all by herself."

"Love you," Carrie said, giving him a quick kiss to the cheek, then turned to hug her little boy.

A short time later, Carrie Norris arrived at the converted stable. Knocking once, she opened the door calling out, "Anna?"

"Come in, Carrie," Anna called, "I'm in the bedroom."

As Carrie entered the Hakeswills' bedroom, she found Anna already in bed.

"My water broke, so I thought it best if I got into bed," Anna explained. "The pains are coming more closely spaced than they were this morning. In fact, I didn't even tell Obadiah I was having pains this morning, as I wanted to make sure to go to the funeral."

"Men worry so much when women are having a baby, so they do," the other woman observed. "They forget that it's the most natural thing in the world."

"I was in labour for eight hours with Joseph," Anna reported, grimacing as a pain hit her "I think this baby is going to come much sooner."

"Oh, my," Carrie said. "That man of yours had better hurry with the midwife if he wants to be here in time for the birth, so he should."

Twenty minutes, then a half hour passed and Obadiah still did not return.

"Where is he?" Anna moaned, as another pain hit her. "What's taking him so long? I need Obadiah here with me."

"I'll go look outside the door and see if he's coming," Carrie said, trying not to show her concern to Anna. "I'll be right back."

A moment later, Carrie stepped outside the door and looked up the alley. To her relief, she saw - or rather heard - Sergeant Hakeswill returning, cussing loudly as he dragged the midwife along.

"Come on, you bleedin' slag," Obadiah growled, twitching. "Move smartly, now!"

"Oh, there you are," Carrie said, obviously relieved as the two came near. "Anna has been calling for you. Her pains are coming closer together and it shouldn't be long now."

"You hear that, you worthless whore?" Hakeswill sneered at the midwife. "Told me there was no hurry, that it would be hours, you did."

Turning his attention to Carrie, he told her indignantly, "I found this lazy trull being rogered by her man. Didn't want to come with me, see? Told me to go home and wait for her, she did."

Carrie shook her head slowly, having heard similar complaints about this midwife before. Turning to the midwife, she said, "You'd best get in there and attend to Mrs Hakeswill, so you should."

After giving Anna an examination a short time later, the midwife said, "Won't be long now. It's never as long if'n it's not the first one."

"I could have told you that," Hakeswill said, rolling his eyes scornfully.

"You need to go out and wait in the other room," Carrie said gently. "This is women's work. I'll stay and make sure Anna is well taken care of."

"Much obliged to you, I am," he said, as he turned to go out to sit in the other room.

Obadiah plopped down into the upholstered chair to wait, twitching every time he heard Anna cry out in pain. Nevertheless, he soon became drowsy and after a few minutes began to doze. He was jolted awake some time later by the sound of a baby's cry.

Jumping up, he was met at the bedroom door by smiling Carrie Norris. "Come in," she said, "Anna has something to show you."

Obadiah entered the room hesitantly, where the midwife had just cleaned off the baby and placed him in Anna's arms.

"Come see your son, Obadiah," Anna said shyly. "Look how big and healthy he is."

With a big, silly grin on his face, Obadiah sat down beside his wife as she put their son to her breast. "Look at him go! He's a hungry little bugger" he said proudly. "Going to be a big 'un, he is."

Leaning down to kiss her cheek, he murmured, "I loves you, Anna."

"I love you, too," she said, with tears of joy in her eyes, as she beheld the two people who meant everything to her. "What a fine family we are."


	16. Sharpe and the Captain's Wife

Anna Hakeswill recovered quickly after the birth of her second son. Indeed, giving birth to Obadiah's son had been much easier than when Joseph was born, mainly thanks to the fact that she had the support of a loving husband and a good friend. Though Obadiah had encouraged her to rest for as long as she needed and had even hired an Indian girl to help her with daily tasks, Anna had soon become bored with idleness.

And, thankfully, little Barabbas was healthy and thriving, having inherited his strong constitution from his father. Barry, as Anna and Obadiah had taken to calling him, had none of Joseph's sickliness, and nursed greedily at every given opportunity. He slept in the cradle that Obadiah had made for him, right next to their bed, which made it easier for Anna to feed him during the night. The humble basket that Joseph had slept in had been demoted to being a hamper for their dirty clothes, since Barry went through several nappies every day.

He'd been born bald, though little wisps of hair indicated that he'd have auburn hair, the same shade as his father's side whiskers, once it grew in. It also seemed as if he'd have his father's prominent cheekbones, though it was really too early to tell for sure. Though Barry had Anna's olive green eyes, there was no doubt that this baby had been sired by Obadiah Hakeswill.

Despite the Hakeswills now being financially well-set, thanks to the death of Anna's father, they decided to continue living at the stable in order to cut down on expenses and, more importantly, so others would not know just exactly how much they had now. They'd added a few luxuries and comforts to their modest home, but most of the money was well-hidden. Obadiah knew that most of what they had could be stolen if the extent of their improved fortunes became widely known. He wanted to save as much as he could for the eventual time when they'd be able to return to England.

Though the baby awakened Obadiah several times during the course of any given night, he'd tolerated it with amazing forbearance. Normally, such occurrences would have snapped his limited reserves of patience, but this was different. This was his own flesh and blood, a part of himself. Anna had assured him that as time went by, Barry would awaken less frequently during the night and, within a few months, would sleep all night.

On one lazy Saturday, about a month after the birth, Anna sat in the upholstered chair in the front room nursing the baby. Obadiah was at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee as he quietly enjoyed the company of his wife and son, an experience that two years ago, he never dreamed he would now have. Neither spoke much, simply enjoying the peaceful and comfortable domesticity that came with being together. They were so comfortable with one another that there was no need to fill every moment with empty chatter.

After Barry had finished nursing, Anna brought him up to burp, where she had a cloth over her shoulder.

Obadiah chuckled as the baby eventually emitted a loud belch. "Greedy little bugger, eh?" he said. "Can't get enough, can he?"

"Just like his father," Anna murmured, grinning up at her husband.

"Right you are, missy," he replied, his smile wide in return.

"I need to go put him down for a nap," Anna decided. Wrinkling her nose, she added "That is, after I change him. At the rate he's going, I'm going to run out of clean linen for him."

"You'll just have to buy more cloth to make some more, you will," he decided. "And that heathen serving girl should bring some washed ones when she comes back in the morning."

A couple of minutes later, after Anna had settled the baby down for a nap, she came back out into the front room, quietly closing the door behind her.

No sooner had she shut the door than Obadiah grabbed her around the waist. "Time for a little fun, missy," Obadiah growled. "I needs to have me a bit of a scratching, lest I burst." He dropped Anna back down into the upholstered chair as he stood over her.

"Won't take long, I promise," he continued, twitching, as he busily lifted her petticoat. "I'll have you rogered proper before the little 'un wakes up."

Some time later, after they'd finished, and Anna was sitting contentedly on Obadiah's lap in the chair, a knock came at the door. It was a long moment before it registered with either of them, as they were still focused on one another in the lassitude of afterglow.

Reluctantly easing herself up from Obadiah's lap, Anna said, "I'll see who it is."

She opened the door to find Carrie Norris standing there by herself.

"Come in, Carrie," Anna said opening the door wider. "It's good to see you."

Carrie came inside, hesitating for just a second when she saw Obadiah Hakeswill seated in the upholstered chair, now filling his pipe for a smoke. He nodded briefly at her as he lit the pipe and put it in his mouth.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Anna offered graciously.

"Perhaps later," Carrie said. "I came by to see if you'd like to take a walk to the market with me. I need to get a few things, but mainly, I'm going just for the outing, as Ben is home with Billy taking a nap. It's such a pretty day and I know you've not been out much since the baby was born. So, I thought you might want to come along with me."

Anna's face brightened momentarily, then clouded again as she looked toward the closed bedroom door. "Barry will likely wake up soon. He's been napping quite awhile."

Before Carrie could reply, Obadiah cut in, "You go on ahead, missy. Won't hurt me none to watch him for awhile." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out some coins to give her. "Besides, you said you needed more cloth for nappies, eh?"

"Are you sure?" Anna asked hesitantly. "He's likely to wake up rather soon."

"Sure I'm sure," he insisted, a crooked grin appearing on his face.

"Thank you, Obadiah," she said, smiling broadly. "I promise I won't be gone for too long."

"Take your time, missy," he told her affably. "The boy and I will be just fine here by ourselves."

"I'll see you in a little while, then," Anna said, leaning over to kiss him on the top of his bald head.

"Oh, it feels so good to be out and about," Anna said breezily as the two women headed for the market a few minutes later. "As much as I love my baby, I've begun to feel restless being cooped up at home all the time."

"How well I remember that feeling when Ben was first born, so I do," Carrie said. "I love my men folk to death, but sometimes it's good just to be among women."

"I'd not really had the energy to want to do much visiting lately," Anna told her. "But I'm feeling back to my own self now, I think."

"It takes awhile to get over having a baby, so it does," Carrie agreed.

A moment later, Anna asked, "So, what is it you're needing to buy today?"

"I needed some sewing thread and some ribbon ties for my shoes," Carrie reported. "It wasn't anything that couldn't have waited, but it was such a nice day for a walk. I'd not seen you in some time, so I decided to stop by to see if you wanted to go."

"I'm glad you did," Anna said as they reached the market square. "I'm going to buy some cloth to make more nappies. It seems as if I underestimated just how many I'd need. Even though I have a servant to wash them, it seems as if Barry fills them quicker than she can wash them."

"You never can have too many nappies," Carrie agreed. "I'm so glad Ben is past all that now, so I am."

"I'm glad to know that there _will_ be an end to it," Anna remarked dryly.

The two women quickly located and paid for their needed items, then decided to do a bit of window shopping as they continued to talk. Because Obadiah had cautioned her not to flaunt their new-found prosperity in front of others, Anna did not buy anything other than the nappy cloth, though she could now afford to have bought anything she desired.

After about an hour of browsing, Anna said, "I really must get home as it's nearly time for me to feed the baby again."

"Yes, I need to go home and start supper as well," Carrie said.

"I've enjoyed it," Anna said. "It was just the little break I needed."

"I hope to see you soon," Carrie said, as she turned to leave.

"Surely," Anna replied, smiling.

Anna Hakeswill was in a fine mood as she ambled down the alley toward home. It had been good to get out for little while, but now she was ready to go home to feed Barry and to spend the rest of the afternoon with Obadiah. She'd been pleasantly surprised when he'd offered to watch the baby for her, but she didn't want to take unfair advantage of his generosity by being gone too long. Nor did she care to make Barry wait for his next meal.

As she neared the stable, she heard Obadiah's voice coming through the open window, at first indistinct. Anna quickened her step - did he have a visitor?

Pausing at the window, his voice became more understandable. "…going to teach you all I know, I am," Obadiah murmured in an uncharacteristically gentle tone. "No one will get the better of Barabbas Hakeswill, they won't. I'll make sure of it. Going to be a fine man and do me and your mother proud, you are." After a pause, he added, "But I'm already proud of you, boy. 'Cos I loves you, see?"

Anna peeked inside the window to see Obadiah sitting in the upholstered chair, holding Barry in his arms as he looked down at him with obvious love on his face. Her heart swelled with joy at the sight of Obadiah cradling their son in his arms. She stood quietly for a long moment, hoping to etch the sight of this permanently into her memory.

A moment later, she entered the stable, quietly closing the door behind her. Smiling down at her men folk, she murmured, "How long has Barry been awake?"

"Not long, missy," Obadiah said, "Was just getting better acquainted, we were."

At the sound of his mother's voice, little Barabbas began to whimper. Hakeswill held the baby out to Anna and said, "Believe he's ready to be fed, I do."

"I'm sure," Anna said, laughing as she took the seat that her husband quickly vacated for her. "He's a bottomless pit."

"That he is."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A few weeks before, not long after the death of Captain Horace Perkins, a new captain, along with his wife, arrived in Seringapatam to replace him. The couple ended up renting the same house, arriving a few days after Obadiah and his cronies had cleaned it out.

Captain Arthur Darlington had requested men to help move his belongings into the house, shortly after arriving in town. Obadiah Hakeswill had volunteered himself and six hand-chosen men to do the job, mainly as an excuse for Hakeswill to ingratiate himself with the new officer. He hoped to gain a new ally before others had the chance to poison the new officer against him.

Naturally, Obadiah had no intention of doing the actual grunt work himself; that was beneath him as a sergeant. Rather, he would supervise his men while he observed the new officer and his wife, looking for weaknesses he could exploit.

And the moment the couple arrived at their new home, Obadiah had immediately spotted the new captain's weakness. Darlington had to be pushing sixty, but Mrs Darlington was no more than Anna's age - and she was ravishingly beautiful. It was all Obadiah could do to keep his eyes from bugging out of his head at the sight of her.

The aging captain's possessive mannerisms around his young wife indicated to Obadiah that the man was vain. It also indicated that he had sufficient money to make the attractive young woman overlook the fact that she'd married a man who would be classified as "elderly" in less than a decade.

Darlington had been properly grateful when the sergeant had offered his help, then had made sure the job had been done quickly and correctly. This had accomplished Hakeswill's goal of establishing a good first impression with the officer with a minimum of effort on his part.

Since that time, Sergeant Hakeswill had seen Captain Darlington around town a few times as both men went about their daily duties. He'd only seen the elusive Mrs Darlington once more since that time, leaving army headquarters with her husband one day, looking supremely bored.

So, it immediately caught Hakeswill's attention when he spied young Georgina Darlington skulking in the alley closest to the armoury on the Monday following his happy weekend with Anna. Obadiah could tell she was up to something by the way she kept looking all around, unable to keep still for more than a few seconds at a time. He'd just come back from eating lunch at home and was about to pass the alley before walking by the armoury when he saw her, unsuccessfully trying to be inconspicuous.

Obadiah pretended that he'd not seen her and walked past, seemingly oblivious. He slipped into a shop across from the armoury, going straight to a window to continue to observe her unseen. The wily sergeant knew she was waiting for something - or someone - and he intended to see just what it was.

He didn't have to wait long. No more than five minutes had passed when Richard Sharpe came out of the armoury and headed straight for the alley. Hakeswill saw Sharpie take her hand to lead her further into the alley. He knew that the alley opened out on the other end not far from the blond sergeant's quarters, which was where Obadiah guessed Sharpie was taking her.

_Had to be_, he thought as he left the shop and slipped over to the alley to follow them. Peering carefully down the alley, he was able to see Sharpe and the Darlington trull exit from the other end in the direction of Sharpie's quarters.

_I've got you now, Sharpie_, Obadiah thought, chortling to himself as he tailed them. As he reached the far end of the alley, he stopped to make sure the coast was clear before emerging. He didn't see the two in the street, so he headed to Sharpe's rooming house. Sharpe's rooms were on the second floor facing an empty lot, so the sergeant hurried over to a tree which sat next to the building. He quickly climbed the tree to a point where he could easily see inside the window to Sharpe's rooms. Sharpie had not bothered to close the curtains, so Hakeswill had a good view of anything that might transpire inside. Indeed, Richard Sharpe's bed was visible from where Obadiah sat.

A moment later, Sharpe and the woman entered his quarters. The blond sergeant immediately took off his uniform jacket, tossing it onto a chair, before taking Mrs Darlington into his arms for a long, lingering kiss.

Obadiah watched avidly, not wanting to miss a bit of it. The couple proceeded quickly, apparently not having much time to waste on foreplay. Within moments, they'd both fallen back onto the bed leaving discarded clothing in their wake.

Once Hakeswill was certain that the couple intended to finish the job, he slipped down the tree, hurrying off to locate Captain Darlington. He retraced his steps back through the alley and no sooner had he re-entered the street where the armoury was than he saw the captain heading toward him.

But before the sergeant could inform the captain of his wife's infidelity, the captain addressed him.

"Sergeant…Hakeswill, isn't it?" Darlington asked. Not waiting for the other man's reply, he continued, "Did you happen to have seen my wife any time today? I seem to have misplaced her."

Trying not to appear too eager, Hakeswill replied crisply, twitching. "Yes, sir, I did. Just a few minutes ago, I saw Sergeant Sharpe take her off to his quarters. I'm afraid he might take advantage of your wife. He's well known among us soldiers for his dalliances with women, he is."

"Where are his quarters!" Darlington thundered, incensed. "Take me there this instant."

"Right this way, sir," Hakeswill said loudly, leading him down the alley. A malevolent grin appeared on his face when he thought of what would likely happen to the hapless Richard Sharpe.

A few moments later, the two men had entered Sharpe's rooming house and Hakeswill led him up the stairs.

"Right in there, sir," the sergeant said, pointing to a door on the left. The sounds of moaning and rhythmically squeaking bedsprings could be clearly heard through the thin door.

"Open that door right now!" Darlington called out.

"You wants me to kick the door in, sir?" Hakeswill asked, twitching. "I doubts they can hear anything right now."

"Yes, Sergeant," the officer said. "Do it."

Hakeswill kicked the door in smartly, with it swinging in sharply to hit a chair inside.

Captain Darlington pushed past Hakeswill to find his wife in _flagrante delicto_ with Richard Sharpe. He was on top of her in mid-stroke, her ankles hooked across his back.

At hearing the door crash into the chair, Richard Sharpe jumped up from the bed stark naked, grabbing a pillow to hold in front of himself, then threw a sheet to cover his partner.

"Georgina!" Captain Darlington exclaimed. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I can explain!" Georgina Darlington gabbled nervously. "He gave me wine and then took advantage of me!"

Obadiah Hakeswill rolled his eyes at that lame excuse - he knew a whore when he saw one - but said nothing. This was the perfect situation in which to get his revenge on Richard Sharpe, so he wasn't going to say a word in his defence.

Richard Sharpe, in the meantime, had hastily put his breeches back on, then threw Georgina's shift to her.

"Sergeant, what do you have to say for yourself?" Captain Darlington said coldly to Sharpe. "Did you know that this woman is my wife?"

"Your _wife_?" Sharpe repeated incredulously. "I thought she was your daughter!"

"And you think that would have made what you did any better, did you?" Darlington said, his voice dripping with scorn.

"No, sir," Sharpe said miserably.

"Sergeant Sharpe hasn't been a sergeant all that long, sir," Hakeswill put in, twitching. "He used to be a private soldier under my command, sir. Never knew his place then, he didn't, nor does he now. Had to have him flogged once to remind him of it, see?"

"As much as I hate flogging, it would appear that this man needs to become re-acquainted with the lash," Darlington said, glaring balefully at Sharpe. "Twenty-five lashes and the loss of his sergeant's stripes ought to remind him of his proper place, I would think."

Hakeswill was disappointed with how few lashes Darlington ordered, but seeing Sharpie busted back to private almost made up for it." He grinned malevolently at Sharpe, basking in feelings of sweet revenge.

By this time, Georgina Darlington had put all her clothes back on and now stood nervously by her husband.

Grabbing her arm roughly, Arthur Darlington said, "We need to go home and have a _very_ long conversation, I'm thinking."

"Don't you hurt her," Richard Sharpe called out. "There's no cause for that."

"I hardly think that you're in any position to tell me what I may or may not do with my own wife," Darlington told him. "I will be speaking with your superior officer this afternoon about your actions, you can be sure."

Turning to two privates who'd come out of the rooms across the hallway at hearing the commotion, the captain said, "Take this man to the stockade until he can be flogged tomorrow morning."

After the soldiers had acknowledged their orders, Darlington said, "Thank you for your assistance Sergeant Hakeswill. I am in your debt."

Grabbing his wife's hand, he growled, "Come along, Georgina," then left the scene of his wife's infidelity with no further ado.

As the two privates entered the room to drag Richard Sharpe away, Hakeswill turned a spiteful gaze on him. "Gettin' above yourself, you were, Sharpie, stickin' it in where it don't belong."

Not waiting for his reply, Obadiah followed the Darlingtons down the stairs, cackling gleefully in satisfaction.


	17. Sharpe Pays the Piper

Obadiah Hakeswill was in an uncommonly good humour as walked home later that afternoon. Ever since Sharpie had insulted him and Anna, he'd been looking for a way to get back at the uppity blond sergeant. No, not sergeant. Private. Sharpie was once again a private, right where he ought to be.

With that thought in mind as he opened the door at home, he came inside with a big malevolent grin on his face. He found Anna cooking their supper, while Barry napped in his cradle that Anna had brought out into the front room.

After Obadiah had closed the door and set his haversack on the floor, Anna smiled, glad that her husband was home for the evening.

"You look especially happy this evening," Anna observed as he bent to kiss her. "Did something good happen today?"

"That it did, missy,' he told her, cackling. "I finally had an opportunity to pay Sharpie back a little and I got him good.'

"Oh?" Anna asked, interested, now giving him her full attention. "How'd you do it?"

"Sharpie mainly done it to himself, but I was at the right place at the right time to take advantage of it," Hakeswill explained. "Pays to always keep your eyes and ears open, it does."

"What happened, Obadiah?" Anna urged, as she set their supper on the table. "Tell me."

"I was just walkin' near the armoury, mindin' my own business, see?" he began. "I passed an alley when I saw that new young wife of Captain Darlington standin' in there by herself, where she had no business being."

After taking a bite of food, he continued, "She was lookin' all around, nervous-like, so I figured she was up to something."

"That makes sense," Anna agreed.

"I slipped into a shop across from the armoury, so's I could watch her from the window without her knowin' I was there," he continued, twitching. "I figured she was waitin' for someone and I wanted to see who it was, 'cos I knew she'd not wait for her husband in a dirty alley."

"How long did you have to wait?" Anna asked.

"No more 'n five minutes," he said. "Sharpie came out of the armoury and went straight for that alley like a moth to a flame, he did." Chortling gleefully, he continued, "I knew right then that I finally had him."

"Oh, my," Anna said, smiling. "Tell me more."

"No sooner than they started heading down the alley, I knew they was goin' to his quarters, so's Sharpie could give her a good rogering," Obadiah explained. "I followed them to make sure that's what they was going to do, see?"

"They didn't see you, did they?" she asked.

"Naw," he replied, twitching. "They never saw me, 'cos they had only one thing on their minds, they did."

"No doubt," Anna concurred, rolling her eyes.

"When I got to Sharpie's quarters, I climbed a tree right outside the place, 'cos he lives upstairs, see?" Obadiah went on. "I could see everything I needed to see from that tree and I got me an eyeful, too."

"What did you do then?" Anna asked.

"I slipped back down that tree, as quick as I could," he told her. "Then I went back the way I came, hopin' to find Captain Darlington, so's I could tell him what a whore his wife was. 'Course, I wouldn't have put it like that. I would have said that Sharpie had ravished her, forced himself upon her, even."

"Yes, it's better if you made the wife look like the victim," Anna remarked. "Though, from what you've told me, I doubt that she was."

"Right you are, missy," Obadiah agreed, twitching. "That bint wanted it as much as Sharpie did, mark my words. But her husband didn't need to hear that, 'cos he wouldn't have believed me."

"And you didn't want to say anything that would lessen Sharpe's guilt, I'm sure," Anna astutely observed.

"You knows me all too well," he said, chuckling, then leaned forward to squeeze her hand across the table. "Had to keep my mind on my business, I did, and that was to bring Sharpie down a few pegs."

"Did it take you long to find him?" Anna asked.

"He found me," he replied. "Turned out I didn't have to go lookin' for him at all. He was near the armoury when I saw him." Taking a sip of his drink, he continued, "And he came up to me before I could say a word. Man was out lookin' for his wife, he was."

Anna laughed, then said, "It seems as if the situation just fell right into your lap, perfectly suited for your purposes."

"That it did, missy," Obadiah agreed, twitching again. "I told him what I knew, then took him over to Sharpie's quarters. Wanted to make sure he got there while they were still doin' the deed, I did, 'cos I thought it would be better for him to catch them in the act."

"Were they?" Anna asked. "Did you get there in time?"

"That we did," he said, cackling again at the memory. "You could hear the squeaky bedsprings through the door, too. I thought that Captain Darlington was going to turn purple when he heard it, I did."

"What happened then?" Anna asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"Well, he wanted me to kick the door in, so I did," he said. "Took a lot of pleasure in doing that, too." Laughing again, he continued, "You should have seen the look on Sharpie's face when we came in there. We caught him buried up to the hilt inside this trull and he couldn't get off her fast enough. He got his foot caught up in the sheet and nearly fell flat on his face getting out of that bed."

"Oh, my," Anna said, unable to stifle the giggles that came to her. Obadiah started laughing, too, at hearing his wife do so, until the both of them were laughing so hard that tears were rolling.

A few minutes later, after they'd collected themselves, Anna asked, "And the woman? What did she do when her husband came in?"

"Oh, she put it all on Sharpie, she did," he said, twitching. "Told him that Sharpie done got her drunk and took advantage of her."

"Did he believe her?" Anna asked dubiously.

"I expects not," Obadiah said with a wry expression. "I would think it's happened before, considerin' how much older he is than her. Goes with the territory, it does." Laughing again, he continued, "But that didn't help Sharpie none at all, it didn't. Man still has his pride, see?"

"What happened then?" she asked. "What did he do to Sharpe?"

"Sharpie's going to be flogged tomorrow," Obadiah reported. "Only 25 lashes though. That's not nearly enough in my book, but the Captain don't like flogging."

"That doesn't seem like a lot," Anna agreed. "I've heard of men getting many, many more than that and for doing lesser things, too."

"Sharpie's lucky that it wasn't me who decided how many he'd get, that's for sure," he said. "But the Captain busted him back to private, which makes it better."

"Serves him right," Anna said, scowling.

"He'll be flogged in the morning and everyone will turn out to see it, including the women," he told her, twitching. "Would you be wanting to come? You could stop and visit with Carrie once it was done, if you wants to."

"I've not ever seen anything like that," she said slowly.

"You don't have to come if you don't want," he assured her.

"I'll come," she said decisively. "I want to see him get what's coming to him."

"That's my girl," Obadiah said, patting her hand. "I'll be right next to you the whole time. Nothing to be nervous about, there isn't."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After leaving Richard Sharpe's quarters, Captain Arthur Darlington hustled his wife, Georgina, back to their quarters. This wasn't the first time he'd discovered his young wife in bed with another man, and he suspected it wouldn't be the last, either.

The couple had been married just over a year and from the very start it had been a disaster. Darlington's brother had warned him that entering into a marriage with such a young woman would be folly, but Arthur Darlington had paid him no heed. He'd been a childless widower for many years and when he'd been introduced to the enchanting Georgina Derbyshire at a ball, he'd immediately become besotted with her. He'd been completely blind to her grasping, mercenary nature and coarse mannerisms. Georgina was beautiful and that's all that mattered to him. He knew he was getting on in age and if he ever wanted to have an heir, he needed to find a wife soon.

He'd asked for her hand within a week of meeting her and to his delight, she accepted. They were married within the month, and that's when his troubles began. Within a week, he'd found her in bed with the footman, and the marriage had proceeded in much the same vein ever since. He'd hoped that coming to India would help cure her of her constant straying, but he knew now that this wouldn't be the case.

Though he'd long before recognized that he was an old fool and that the marriage had been a big mistake, Darlington was bound and determined to see Richard Sharpe punished. He had to make an example of the man so that other men would think twice before beating a path to his door to roger his faithless wife.

After depositing his wife at home with warnings for her to remain there until he returned, Captain Darlington headed to the armoury to speak with Major Stokes about what Sharpe had done.

As he entered the armoury, he heard a voice call out from another room. "Is that you, Sharpe? You're late."

"It's Captain Darlington," Darlington said as he entered the Major's office. "I'm here to talk with you about Sharpe."

"Where is he?" Stokes demanded. "He should have been back from lunch nearly an hour ago."

"I'm afraid it's my doing why he's not here," Darlington explained. "I came to speak with you about the reason why."

"Please sit down," Stokes said, indicating a chair. "Would you like some brandy?"

"Yes, I would," Darlington said. "Thank you."

After settling himself and taking a sip of brandy, Darlington got straight to the point. "I caught your Sergeant Sharpe in bed with my wife earlier today. I had him taken away to the stockade until tomorrow morning when he will be flogged with 25 lashes. I've also taken his sergeant's stripes and demoted him to private."

"I…see," Major Stokes said, clearly unhappy with the situation. Sharpe was one of the best assistants he'd ever had and losing his services even for a day was quite an inconvenience for him. But there wasn't much he could say, considering how Sharpe had compromised the captain's honour.

"It's up to you what you want to do with him after he's received his punishment," Darlington said. "And I'm sorry to cause any disruption of his duties here, but I could not allow what he did to go unpunished."

"I understand," Stokes said. "But Sharpe's duties call for a rating of sergeant, which was one of the reasons he was promoted in the first place."

"I'm sorry to cause you any inconvenience," Darlington said. "But I had to make an example of the man."

"Of course," Stokes said. "But I intend to promote him back to sergeant, as I haven't the time, nor the inclination to find another man to do his job."

"Might I ask that you wait until this blows over before you officially reinstate his rank?" Darlington asked.

"I can do that," Stokes conceded. "I'll let him sweat it out for awhile before I restore his rank and I'll assign him some punishment duties as well in the meantime."

"I suppose that's the best I can expect," Darlington said, sighing. "Thank you for your time, Major."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Early the next morning, the Hakeswill family left their quarters to get a good spot in which to view the flogging. Obadiah had rigged up a sling for Anna to carry Barabbas in if her arms got too tired of holding him.

As they neared the large clearing by the river where the flogging was to take place, they encountered several others heading in the same direction for the same reason. Floggings and other types of public punishment in the army were always well-attended and as the Hakeswills entered the clearing, there was almost a carnival-like atmosphere among the gathered spectators.

The framework had already been set up to bind Richard Sharpe to while being flogged. Two drummer boys, each holding a cat o'nine tails whip loitered nearby waiting for Sharpe to be brought out. Obadiah Hakeswill, standing within earshot of the boys, called out to them. "Remember to put your backs into it, lads. He's only getting 25 lashes, so make each one of them count."

After the two had acknowledged the sergeant's instructions, Hakeswill and Anna moved off slightly after Anna had spotted Carrie Norris and went to stand by her. Sergeant Norris and little Ben were nearby sitting under a tree.

"Oh, I'm glad to see you here," Anna said as she sidled up to Carrie. "I wasn't sure if many women would show up for this."

"Never seen a flogging, have you?" Carrie asked gently. After Anna shook her head, Carrie continued, "No, I don't suppose you have. Not many officers' family members come to see this sort of thing. But most of the rankers' wives do. I've seen plenty of them, so I have."

She gestured around the clearing where several other women stood. "Now that you're a sergeant's wife, I daresay you'll see many more." Patting Anna's arm, she continued, "But the first time might be a bit shocking to you, as there will be a bit of blood, so there will. You might want to remain standing here and not go around behind where you'd see his back."

"Thanks for warning me," Anna replied, grateful.

"Look, they're bringing him out now," Obadiah alerted the women, interrupting their conversation, as he rubbed his hands together gleefully in anticipation.

Richard Sharpe was brought out from behind where the two women stood with Obadiah Hakeswill. He was already shirtless, wearing only his breeches and boots. As he passed by close to where the three stood, they could see the livid scars criss-crossing his back from where he'd been flogged the previous year, also at Sergeant Hakeswill's instigation.

Anna inhaled audibly at the sight of Sharpe's scarred back. Even though she thought he deserved his punishment, she still could not help but cringe at the sight of it.

As Sharpe passed the scrawny sergeant, who chortled malevolently, he gave him a thunderous glare. If looks could kill, Obadiah Hakeswill would have fallen dead where he stood.

"Don't be giving me that look, Sharpie," Hakeswill sneered at him, twitching. "You did it to yourself, you did. I didn't make you roger that bint, eh? You ain't got no one to blame for this than yourself, see?"

By this time, Sharpe had been dragged out of Hakeswill's hearing, so he didn't hear Sharpe's reply, if he indeed made one.

A few moments later, Sharpe was bound to the framework, facing where Hakeswill stood with the two women. The blond man continued to glare daggers at Hakeswill, who returned his glare with a maliciously gleeful expression.

Captain Darlington, along with Major Stokes, stood behind Sharpe, back far enough so that the backstroke of the whip would not reach them. Georgina Darlington was nowhere to be seen.

No sooner had Sharpe been properly bound than a drummer boy wielding his whip stepped up to begin the job. Rearing back, he swung the whip, with it connecting smartly across Richard Sharpe's back with a resounding crack.

Though the first stroke was exquisitely excruciating and immediately drew blood, Sharpe didn't make a sound. He was determined not to give Obadiah Hakeswill the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. And through the remaining 24 lashes, Sharpe remained stoic, obdurately refusing to make a sound, though the blood was flowing freely after the fifth or sixth lash. He could not control the tears, as sweat had rolled into his eyes, then continued down his cheeks, leaving dusty tracks behind.

Obadiah looked on in satisfaction as he observed Sharpe's increasing efforts to control himself. But all too soon it was over, and Sharpe was released from the framework. He leaned against a nearby tree for several minutes as he slowly collected himself, with the blood running freely.

Darlington immediately walked away once the sentence had been carried out. Stokes, on the other hand, waited for Sharpe to gather his wits and to help him get back to his quarters.

As the crowd began dispersing, little Barabbas began to fuss and whimper.

"Let's go home, Obadiah," Anna said in a low voice. "Barry needs to be fed and I don't want to do it here in front of everyone."

"All right, missy," he said agreeably. "We might as well go home, 'cos I've seen what I came to see."


	18. The Perfect Scheme

Several weeks later on a hazy Saturday morning, Anna Hakeswill was busy in the front room preparing the noon meal.

Anna had risen early, letting Obadiah sleep in, while she prepared a special lunch for him. He'd been exhausted when he'd arrived home late the previous evening and had gone straight to bed after eating his supper.

Her cooking lessons with Carrie had been progressing nicely and she now knew how to prepare several different meals. Increasingly, the Hakeswills depended less and less on the sergeants' mess and ate more of their meals at home. Anna knew that now that they had money, she needn't continue with her cooking lessons, but she wanted to. It made her feel good to cook for Obadiah herself, and was just another way to show him that she loved him. There would come a time when they'd hire a cook once they returned to England, but while they remained in India, she wanted to cook for her husband.

She'd brought Barry out into the front room with her while she cooked, so he'd be less likely to disturb his father. It had been a gruelling week for Obadiah, so she wanted him to get as much sleep as he could. Anna knew he'd been worn out when he'd gone to bed the previous night and simply turned over and gone to sleep without any attempt to be intimate with her.

After finishing her breakfast and before starting on the noon meal, Anna sat in the comfortable chair as she fed Barry. The infant gurgled happily as his mother picked him up to feed him, looking up with trusting eyes as she put him to her breast. Obadiah's son was so different from the half brother he'd never meet, Anna thought wistfully. She did not think of Joseph much these days, but it was at quiet times like this that thoughts of her firstborn would drift into her consciousness. Once again, she gave silent thanks that Barabbas was strong and healthy.

Some time later, as fragrant aromas from the fireplace wafted under the closed door into the bedroom, Obadiah Hakeswill slowly awakened to find himself alone in bed. He sat up stretching and yawning, as his stomach rumbled in anticipation of the meal soon to come. Glancing out the window, he judged it to be close to noon.

Absently scratching his belly, Obadiah got out of bed and slipped on his breeches over his naked body, then slipped his feet into the bedroom slippers that Anna had knitted for him. After taking care of his morning business into the chamber pot, he opened the door and shambled into the front room.

"Oh, you're awake," Anna said, smiling, as Obadiah appeared in the doorway. "You're just in time, too Lunch is about ready. If you'll sit down, I'll bring you a cup of coffee."

After giving her a playful swat on the rump and a quick kiss on her cheek, he took a seat at the table. "Much obliged," he rumbled as she handed him the coffee. "Everything smells good, it does, and I'm about hungry enough to eat a horse."

"This will taste better than a horse, I assure you," Anna said dryly as she brought the food to the table.

"I expects so," he said, as he eagerly began to eat. "You've turned out to be as good of a cook as my mother was."

Anna beamed under his praise, knowing there was none higher to come from Obadiah than to be compared favourably to his mother.

"Thank you, love," Anna said softly. "It means a lot to me to know you enjoy my cooking. I'm happy when I know you're eating well."

As Obadiah finished his coffee and was now fully awake, he said, "I was so tired last night when I came in that I forgot to tell you the latest news."

"What happened?" Anna asked, curious. She knew it wasn't something good from the scowl on her husband's bony face.

"It's Sharpie!" Obadiah said in a disgusted tone of voice. "Major Stokes done promoted him back to sergeant yesterday, he did."

"That's terrible!" Anna said, sympathetically patting Obadiah on the hand. "His punishment was no more than a slap on the wrist."

"Sharpie's an officer's pet, always has been," he sneered, twitching. "Always gets away with murder, he does."

"Well, you've been a sergeant much longer than he's been, so you still outrank him," she pointed out. "And you're a sergeant because you worked hard for it, not because you're someone's pet."

"That's right," he agreed. With a contemptuous snort, he added darkly, "Makes me wonder, it does, just what Sharpie had to do to become an officer's pet."

"I don't even want to think of it," Anna said honestly, shuddering.

"Don't you worry none,' Obadiah vowed. "I'll get back at Sharpie proper one day, make no bones. Just you wait and see."

"I'm sure you will," Anna replied, giving him a conspiratorial grin.

A short time later, Obadiah patted his stomach and pushed back from the table. "Oh, that was good," he told her. "I couldn't eat another bite." Standing up, he said, "Believe I'll have me a smoke. Nothin' like smoking my pipe after a good meal, there isn't."

"You go ahead," Anna smiled. "I'll put out some scraps for the cat, then I'll feed Barry."

As Anna sat down to feed the baby a short time later, Obadiah went back into the bedroom to get his pipe and tobacco pouch. After settling himself in the good chair, he noticed he didn't have enough tobacco to fill his pipe for a proper smoke. He got up and looked through his haversack to see if he'd left some tobacco in there. Coming up empty handed, he told Anna, "I'm out of tobacco, so's I'm going to have to go get some more, 'cos I needs to have me a smoke, I do."

"Give me a minute to finish up with Barry and I'll walk with you," she said. "It's a nice afternoon for an outing."

"All right, then, missy," he said, twitching. "I'll go finish getting dressed while you do that."

Twenty minutes later, the Hakeswills left their converted stable to head toward the market. The streets were filled with people, as the small family made their way toward the tobacco shop in the town centre, as Saturday was a popular day for shopping.

As they arrived at their destination, Obadiah said, "I won't be in there but a few minutes. I get the same kind of tobacco all the time, so it won't take me but a few minutes to get what I need and come right out."

"Take your time," Anna urged him. "I'm going to go inside the bookstore and see if I can't find something new to read."

"All right then, missy," he said agreeably. "I'll see you in a few minutes, eh?"

There were few people inside the small, dusty bookshop as Anna stepped inside. She was well familiar with the little shop, as she and Carrie stopped in nearly every time they went to market. The young mother browsed idly for a few moments, hoping she'd see something she'd want to take home to read. Now that she and Obadiah had money, she indulged herself every so often with a new book. Anna was not extravagant; she limited herself to a single volume only every so often.

It wasn't long before she found a book she wanted. It was a novel and the price was right, no doubt because the book was obviously not new. Anna did not mind, since all the pages were there. It was a book she might also pass along to Carrie to borrow, considering that the other woman's reading skills had vastly improved since Anna had been tutoring her.

Purchase in hand, Anna stepped back outside to wait for Obadiah to come out of the tobacco shop. She found a shady tree to stand beneath, situated between the two shops. She did not see Obadiah, so she leaned against the tree to do some people-watching while she waited for her husband to appear.

The people that passed by paid her no attention, either not knowing who she was or purposefully avoiding her because she was the hated Sergeant Hakeswill's wife. Anna's mind wandered and she began to daydream as she continued to watch people going about their business.

She was jolted back to reality a couple of moments later when she heard a cold voice at her side. "So, you've finally had your brat, Let's see, then."

Anna jerked around to see Mrs Stokes suddenly standing next to her, with a female servant waiting a few steps away. Before she could react, Mrs Stokes had pulled the blanket away from the baby's face to get a better look at him.

"Another boy, then, I see," Mary Stokes said, her sharp eyes appraising. "At least this one is properly all English and appears much healthier than the half-breed bastard you had before." Peering closer, she continued, her voice growing louder, "And he's a surprisingly comely child. But I must say that I can't imagine that the twitching, bald-headed bag of bones you call a husband could possibly be the father of this child."

"How _dare_ you!" Anna hissed indignantly. She looked around to see that a few people nearby had stopped to listen to Mrs Stokes' loud comments. "You horrible witch!"

Oblivious to Anna's reply, the older woman continued, "No, this child is too attractive to have two such unfortunately homely parents. This child must have had at least one parent who was attractive. You've always been such a whore, Anna, Tell me truthfully, who is this child's father and how did you trick him into lying with you?"

Unbeknownst to either woman, Obadiah Hakeswill had come quietly out of the tobacco shop, and had heard most of what the older woman had said. He stepped in between Anna and Mrs Stokes, putting a protective arm around his wife, then turned to glare at the older woman.

In a deceptively soft tone of voice, so that only Mary Stokes could hear him, Obadiah said, "Jealous is what you are, 'cos you couldn't give your man any little 'uns." His voice growing colder, he continued, "And this boy is mine; I done sired him good and proper, make no bones. My Anna is a good woman and a good wife, and you have no place talking about things you know nothin' about in front of all these people, see?"

Twitching, he moved closer to Mrs Stokes and said, "And the only ugly one I sees here is you. Best thing for you to do is mind your own business and leave my wife alone, it is."

Mary Stokes took a step back, shivering at the sight of sheer malevolent menace on Hakeswill's bony face.

Before the older woman could respond, Obadiah took Anna's arm, then said, "Let's go, Anna. Got better things to do than stand here talkin' to this trull, we do."

"That we do," she agreed vehemently, linking her arm with his as they walked away.

As the couple walked down a nearby alley, out of earshot of anyone, Anna turned to Obadiah with a worried expression. "Do you think it was wise to mention Mrs Stokes' barrenness to her?" she asked. "I'm afraid she might tell her husband what you said and you might end up losing your stripes for it."

"She's ain't going to say nothin' to him, she won't," Obadiah said confidently. "That's her secret shame and she ain't going to call attention to it with her husband, mark my words."

As the couple headed home, Obadiah thought more about the problem of Mrs Stokes. He'd known for some time that he needed to take care of her permanently in retaliation for how she'd treated Anna when she'd lived there. He especially wanted to make her pay for the callous way she'd buried poor baby Joseph in a hole, like one would dispose of a dead dog. Obadiah knew just how much that had broken Anna's heart. The woman's continued harassment of Anna had stretched his limited reserves of patience to the breaking point. Obadiah knew he had to do her and do her soon. It was simply a matter of waiting for the right opportunity to present itself.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

About two months later, not long after Obadiah had returned home from his day's duty, a knock came at the door as the Hakeswills were eating supper.

"I wonder who that could be?" Anna said, frowning. "I'm not expecting anyone."

"Neither am I," Obadiah said "My men all know better than to bother me during suppertime, they do."

"I just got Barry to sleep and I don't need anyone waking him," she said, sighing in exasperation.

"I'll get rid of whoever it is, missy," he promised, rising from the table.

Obadiah pulled the door open to see a middle-aged gentleman wearing a well-made suit that was entirely unsuitable for India's humid climate. Twitching, he raised a sceptical eyebrow, wondering what such an obvious new arrival, and a posh one at that, wanted with him.

"Oh, I beg your pardon," the man said unctuously. "I simply must have the wrong address." He could not imagine Anna Perkins having anything to do with this rawboned sergeant, who obviously hailed from the dregs of society.

"Who are you lookin' for?" Obadiah demanded sourly.

"I'm looking for Miss Anna Perkins," the other man sniffed. "But I can't imagine that she would be living in a place such as _this."_

"Well, it seems that your imagination is kind of faulty, it is," Obadiah said with a smirk. "Anna lives here, she does. She's my wife and she's Anna Hakeswill now."

"Your _wife_?" the other man repeated, entirely flabbergasted. He could not imagine Horace Perkins allowing his daughter to marry this guttersnipe. Something was seriously wrong here.

"Why don't you come in and tell my wife what you came here for," Hakeswill said, opening the door wider. "Makes no difference to me, it don't, but Anna might want to hear what you have to say."

Standing aside as the man reluctantly entered the converted stable, Obadiah said, "Anna, this man here has come to see you."

Still sitting at the dinner table, Anna looked closely at the well-dressed man. He looked familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place him.

"Miss Perkins," he began patiently. "I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Percival Farquhar, your uncle Archibald Perkins' solicitor."

"Mrs Hakeswill," she interrupted, with a note of irritation in her voice. "I'm a married woman now."

"Yes, of course, Mrs Hakeswill," Farquhar repeated, keeping the grimace from his face. "Please accept my condolences on the death of your father.

"Thank you, Mr Farquhar," Anna said. "Please continue."

"As soon as your uncle heard of your father's untimely death, he sent me right away to escort you home," Farquhar explained. "I've only just recently arrived in India."

Obadiah gave the man a disdainful expression - it was obvious to anyone with a brain that the man had just stepped off the boat.

"I'm sorry you've had to come all this way for nothing," Anna murmured, spreading her hands helplessly.

Looking askance at Obadiah Hakeswill, Farquhar said in a low voice, "Are you sure you don't wish to return to England with me? Your uncle is eagerly expecting you." Taking a deep breath, he hurriedly continued, "I'm sure you did what you had to do to survive here, but there's no need for it continue now, when you can go home and resume your previous life with the _right_ kind of people. I can easily get an annulment for you."

Anna pressed her lips together tightly before replying to Farquhar, attempting to keep her temper controlled.

Finally, she said, "Let me make one thing perfectly clear. I did not marry for mere survival. I married for _love_, believe it or not." Taking Obadiah's hand in an affectionate gesture, she continued, "Though my husband and I will no doubt return to England at some point in the future, I'm where I belong for now and I am living the life I've chosen with the right man for me." With a throaty laugh, she concluded, "And it is much, much too late for an annulment, I assure you."

At that moment, little Barabbas awakened in the bedroom, crying lustily to be fed, as if to emphasize the truth of his mother's words.

"I…see," Farquhar said, still wondering what she saw in Obadiah Hakeswill. "I will be remaining in town until the end of the week when I must return to England. I'll be staying with Colonel Gore until then if you change your mind."

"I won't change my mind," Anna said resolutely. "But I will write my uncle a long letter explaining why I'm remaining here and will deliver it to you before you go. He is quite welcome to correspond with me, if he is so inclined."

Obadiah walked to the door to open it. Twitching briefly, he said in a low voice, "I thinks you'd best be going, now."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A couple of weeks after Percival Farquhar left Seringapatam with Anna's letter to her uncle, a minor cholera outbreak occurred in an outlying village where many of the town's servants lived. Obadiah immediately dismissed the serving girl who helped Anna around the house, as he didn't want to risk either her or Barabbas catching the disease. He'd also told Anna to stay home as much as possible and to have no dealings with any Indians until the danger passed.

"Here's the pound of sugar you wanted," Obadiah said one night as he came home from long day of duty. "Stuff is expensive, it is, so's I'm glad we've got some money to spend for it."

"Thank you, love," Anna said, kissing him on his bony cheek. "Tea doesn't taste quite the same without it, and I don't care to use honey in my tea." As she set food on the table for their supper, she said ruefully, "I used to have to make do with honey when I lived with the Stokeses. Mrs Stokes always kept the sugar locked up in the pantry and never allowed me to use any. She even kept the only key to it in her pocket at all times."

Obadiah snorted at the notion of Mary Stokes guarding the sugar so closely. "I can just see Major Stokes havin' to ask his wife for the bleedin' key every time he wanted to put sugar in his tea."

"Oh, Major Stokes didn't put sugar in his tea," Anna informed him. "He preferred it unsweetened."

Obadiah was quiet for a long interval while he digested what Anna just told him. As he continued to eat his supper in silence, a scheme began hatching itself in his mind. A crooked grin appeared on his face as he realized that Anna had unwittingly given him the information he needed in order to finally do away with Mrs Stokes in such a manner that it would look like a natural death.

"What are you thinking of?" Anna asked as she saw the crafty expression on her husband's face. "You're up to something, I can tell."

"Never you mind for now, missy," he said, patting her on the hand. "I think I've found a way to end a problem, but I don't want to talk about it none until after I sees that it can work. Best if you don't know anything for now, it is."

"All right," she said, wondering why he was being so mysterious. "I'll want to hear about it later, though."

"Forget about that for now," he said, rising from his seat. "Right now, I've got me an itch that needs scratching, so's I wants you to get Barry ready for bed as quick as you can."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Hakeswill left early the next morning in order to put the first step of his plan into motion. He grabbed a quick breakfast from last night's leftovers, then was gone before the sun was up. A few minutes later, he was sneaking into a storage shed behind army headquarters where a large supply of arsenic was kept for the purposes of controlling vermin within headquarters and in other army facilities in town.

The wily sergeant had used the substance in the past in order to teach troublesome officers a good lesson. Previously, he'd used such small amount, so they'd only be sick for a day or so. It had been an ideal method to get them out of the way long enough so they'd not interfere with whatever schemes he had going at the time. This would be the first time he would use the poison to kill someone, so he took a larger amount than he'd ever used before.

Arsenic was well-suited for his purposes because the symptoms of arsenic poisoning mirrored those of cholera: copious vomiting and diarrhea. The substance had no odour and could be easily mixed into Mrs Stokes sugar supply and not be detected when she used the sugar in her tea.

Hakeswill had heard that one of the Stokeses' servants had died recently from cholera, so when Mary Stokes exhibited the same symptoms and then succumbed to them, no one would suspect a thing. It was the perfect plan!

After securing an appropriate amount of arsenic, he looked around carefully before leaving the storage shed. Making only one brief stop at a well to wash his hands, he made his way carefully back home, as he would be on night patrol that evening.

"Had an errand to run, I did," he explained to Anna after he arrived home and found her sitting up in bed feeding Barry. Quickly shedding his uniform, he slipped back into bed with his wife and said, "Believe I'm going to get me a bit more sleep, 'cos I have evening duty tonight."

"All right, Obadiah," Anna said softly. "I think I'll just stay in bed with you after I finish with Barry and put him back down for a few hours."

Her husband did not reply, as he'd already gone back to sleep.

Later that evening while out on patrol, Sergeant Hakeswill cased the Stokes home a couple of times until he was sure that the older couple had gone to bed for the night. Once he was satisfied that no one was up, he slipped noiselessly into the house through the back door. Anna had told him that the cabinet where Mrs Stokes locked up the sugar was in the back room and Obadiah found it easily.

It was a full moon that night, so he was able to see a dim outline of the cabinet through a nearby window. Hakeswill grinned widely when he saw the pathetic lock that Mary Stokes had put on the cabinet to protect the sugar, a fatal mistake on her part. Using his lock picks, he had the flimsy lock opened in seconds.

Once he'd opened the cabinet, he saw the sugar bowl immediately, which was sitting in plain view. He grabbed a spoon lying nearby and scooped a generous helping of the arsenic into the bowl, then mixed it in thoroughly with the sugar. After finishing up, he locked the cabinet back the way he'd found it, then left the house just as quietly as he came in, with no one the wiser.

All he had to do now was wait for the inevitable to happen.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Two days later, Anna was visiting with Carrie Norris at the tent encampment. The two women sat outside Carrie's tent exchanging gossip as they both did some sewing. Obadiah was still on night duty, so he was at home in bed as the two women socialized.

Close to noon, Sergeant Norris appeared, walking rapidly to where the two women sat.

"You'll never guess what happened," he said, without preamble, as he came within earshot of the women."

"Tell us," Carrie said, smiling affectionately at her husband. "You know I love to hear all the gossip."

"It's Major Stokes' wife," Norris began. "She died this morning."

Anna's head jerked up suddenly at the news. "How did it happen?" she asked in a low voice.

"Cholera, from what I've heard," Norris replied. "One of her servants died of it a few days ago and she no doubt caught it from her."

The sergeant's words made sense, but Anna couldn't help but get a sick feeling in her stomach. She had a strong hunch that Obadiah had something to do with the woman's death. Still, she was not sorry that the difficult woman was gone.

"I can't say that I'll miss her, as badly as she treated me, but it's too bad for her husband," Anna finally said, rising from her stool. "I'd better go now, so I can go make Obadiah something for lunch."

As she arrived home a short time later, she found Obadiah sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee. Clad only in his breeches and slippers, it was obviously that he'd not been up long.

Seeing the expression on Anna's face, he asked, "What's wrong, Anna?"

"Let me put Barry down and I'll tell you, " she said, going into the bedroom to put the infant in his cradle.

A moment later, she seated herself at the table and picked up the coffee mug that Obadiah had set out for her. "I just heard that Mrs Stokes died," Anna told her husband.

"Is that so?" Obadiah said, twitching. "Good riddance to the old whore."

"You don't seem very surprised," Anna said softly. "Obadiah, did you have anything to do with her death? They said it was cholera, but I have my doubts."

"I did it for you, Anna," he said taking her hand. "After the way she treated you and Joseph, she deserved it. I'd do anything to protect you, see?"

"Oh, Obadiah!" Anna exclaimed. "I'm glad she's gone, truly I am, but you shouldn't have endangered yourself. I don't know what I'd do if you were executed for her death! You mean everything to me!"

"I ain't going to get caught," Obadiah assured her. "You told me they told you it was cholera, right?"

"Yes," she affirmed. "How did you do it? Poison?"

"Arsenic," he replied. "You gave me the idea, you did, when you told me about how she handled her sugar. Arsenic is something that's easy to mix with sugar so's no one notices and it does the same thing to a person that cholera does."

"You're quite clever, Obadiah," she said. "But I can't help but worry."

"I've had to be clever to survive in the army this long," Hakeswill said, twitching. "But don't you worry none about it. Just keep your mouth shut about what you know and let people think it was cholera. There's no way for anyone to prove it wasn't."

Leaning over to kiss him on his bald head, she vowed, "No one will ever hear it from me."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_**Author's note: ** I've added an entry to my blog with some illustrations from "Let This Heart Be Still". My blog can be accessed from a link in my profile._


	19. Leaving India

_January 1804_

Along with the other Army women in Seringapatam, Anna Hakeswill hurried to the gates of the city. Word had come that the men of the 33rd had been spotted on the northern road, returning at last after being gone for an extended time on duty.

Obadiah Hakeswill had been gone even longer than that, having left Seringapatam the previous August. He'd been on detached duty to arrest Richard Sharpe, after a warrant had been issued for his arrest for assaulting Captain Morris with a jakes pot, of all things.

He'd sent a few short letters during that time, telling her how much he missed her and their two children, always with some money enclosed. After his first assignment had ended unsuccessfully, with Sharpe getting away scot-free once again, he'd written again to tell her that he'd be away awhile longer. It seemed as if he'd found an opportunity to make a lot of money quickly, when he'd met a new captain who'd requested Obadiah to join his staff. The money had started coming more regularly and in greater amounts after that, most of which Anna squirreled away in savings.

In the last letter she'd received, Obadiah told her that the captain had died, having supposedly committed suicide, and that he'd rejoined the 33rd. So Anna hurried to meet the returning unit, knowing that Obadiah would be with them. This had been the longest they'd been separated since they'd been together and she'd missed him terribly. She'd cherished each letter he'd sent and had carefully kept each one, but it just wasn't the same as hearing his voice or holding him in her arms.

Now, she hurried as best she could with her two children, along with Carrie Norris and her two little ones.

"Hurry up, Barry," Ben Norris called out to the younger boy, who was now three and a half. "You're going to see your Da today, so you are."

"Both you boys stay close now," Carrie called out. "Barry isn't as big of a boy as you are."

"Want to see Da, I do," Barry said eagerly, his little chin sticking out as he looked up at his mother with pleading eyes. "Hurry, Mama, 'cos I don't want to miss him."

"We won't miss him," she said, smiling at the boy's eagerness to see his father. "Your father wants to see us just as much as we want to see him."

Anna stopped for a moment to hitch her eighteen-month old daughter higher on her hip. Little Caroline Bridget Hakeswill, whom the Hakeswills called Bridget to distinguish her from Carrie Norris, had been able to walk for months, but still could not walk long distances without tiring. As healthy as her brother, she had her father's prominent cheekbones, along with her mother's ash blonde hair. Anna was worried that the toddler girl would not remember her father, since he'd been gone so many months, but knew it wouldn't take long for her to feel comfortable with him again.

Indeed, Obadiah shamelessly spoiled the little girl, whom he called his 'Little Flower'. He once told Anna that their little girl had her grandmother Biddy's eyes and had nearly cried when he told her how much he wished his mother could have seen her.

A short time later, as Anna and Carrie stood with their children near the gate, a voice called out, "Here they come!" Indeed, the sound of many stamping feet could be heard as a flash of many red uniforms came into view.

Straining her eyes, Anna Hakeswill looked at the long column of men marching toward them, hoping to distinguish her husband among them. With the men wearing their shakos, it wouldn't be as easy to spot Obadiah, as his bald head would not stand out from all those soldiers who had hair.

Finally, she saw him walking alongside a column of men, as was his proper place as a sergeant. Quite a few men already were inside the town by then and as Obadiah's group entered the gates, Barry spotted his father and took off running to meet him as fast as his little legs could carry him.

"Da! Da!" Barry cried out happily as he ran to his father and grabbed him around the legs.

"How's my little man?" Obadiah Hakeswill said as he bent over to swing the little boy up into his arms. "Been takin' care of your mother and little sister like I asked, eh?"

"Oh, yes, Da!" the little boy assured him, his arms trustingly wrapped around Obadiah's neck. "I'm a big boy now!"

"That you are," he agreed, chuckling. "You must have grown a foot since I was gone, you have."

As he continued to listen to his small son prattle on, Obadiah looked over Barry's shoulder to see Anna standing before him with a welcoming smile on her face. Beholding her with hungry, feral eyes, he rumbled, "Sight for sore eyes, you are, missy."

"I could say the same," she murmured, as she set little Bridget down on her feet. "Oh, how I've missed you Obadiah!"

Grinning widely, he replied in a throaty voice, "I expects you'll show me just how much you missed me in a little while, eh?'

"Most definitely," she breathed as he took her into his arms and gave her a long, searching kiss. A moment later, their reunion was interrupted by Bridget, who had begun to whimper for attention.

Ending the kiss, Obadiah stooped down to pick up his young daughter. "Oh, I didn't forget you none, my little flower," he said, hugging the toddler close to him. "Your Da missed you terribly, he did."

The little girl regarded Obadiah curiously. He seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place him. But Mama and Barry were both glad to see him, so Bridget decided that he was all right and hugged him back.

"Let's go home," Obadiah said. "It's nearly suppertime and I'm starving. Been missing your Mama's cooking, I have."

With no further ado, the Hakeswills left the tent encampment, with Obadiah still carrying his daughter on his shoulders and his son tagging closely behind, as Anna walked close by his side. Other Army families were having similar reunions, with the more unfortunate families learning that their men had fallen in battle and would never return home. Anna Hakeswill felt humbly grateful and lucky to have her husband back in one piece, as they passed by one grieving family.

Much later that evening, as Obadiah and Anna comfortably reclined together in bed after having had a much more proper reunion, he said lazily, "You just don't know how much I've missed you, Anna."

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea," she laughed, thinking of how quickly he'd jumped her after the children had been put to bed for the night. He hadn't even bothered to take her clothes off for the first time, but had simply pulled her petticoats up and taken her up against the wall.

Sitting up in bed she said, "I'd best go check on the children one more time and make sure they're settled for the night." Not for the first time, Anna was silently grateful that Obadiah had decided to build a second bedroom after she'd become pregnant with Bridget. It had made the front room smaller, but it was well worth her and Obadiah having the privacy of their own bedroom.

"I could do with something more to eat," he said, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. "I seems to have developed me an appetite."

"That's no wonder," Anna said, smirking, as she slipped her shift on over her head. "I'll heat us up something after I've checked on the children."

"Sounds fine, it does," he replied, twitching.

A couple of moments later, Anna opened the door to the children's bedroom to find both children fast asleep in their beds. As she stood there watching them in complete contentment, she suddenly felt Obadiah's hand on her shoulder as he came up behind her.

"I'm the happiest man in the world, I am," he murmured. "Five years ago, I never imagined I'd have all this now. I'm one lucky bastard to have you and the little 'uns, I am."

Reaching up one hand to rest on Obadiah's as she leaned against him, she said, "We're both lucky, love. You and the children are everything to me."

Some time later, as Anna and Obadiah were sitting around the table eating by candlelight, Anna leaned back in her chair and asked, "I'm rather curious to hear what happened while you were away. Your letters were rather cryptic, though I understand some things shouldn't be said in letters. You never know who might read them when they're in transit."

"That's right, missy," Obadiah said, nodding. "It's best never to write anything down you don't want everyone to know."

"What happened with Sharpe?" she asked. "How come you and your six men weren't able to arrest him and bring him back here?"

Hakeswill's bony face contorted into a disgusted scowl at the mention of Richard Sharpe. "I had the devil's own time catching up to Sharpie, I did. And despite having official papers and all, stating that I was there just to arrest Sharpie and head back here, I was pressed into duty supervising a bloody' group of heathen _puckalees_, I was."

"Oh, dear," Anna remarked, encouraging him to continue.

"By the time I caught up to Sharpie, he was with that pious Scotch bastard, Colonel McCandless," Obadiah reported, still sneering. "McCandless was protectin' Sharpie, 'cos Sharpie's been one of his pets for a long time - he's the one what got Sharpie promoted to sergeant the first time."

Pausing as his face twitched, he continued, "I never could catch Sharpie alone. That bugger McCandless ain't never liked me - I could tell when I was locked up with him and Sharpie in the Tippoo's dungeon that he had no use for me. He didn't like it none at all that the Tippoo spared my life when he caught me. Anyways, he told me the warrant was invalid and ended up taking it off me and tearing it up. A warrant issued and signed by our own Colonel Gore and he tore it up! Poxy bugger even said that I lied in my statement and said he was going to write to Colonel Gore and have my stripes taken away!"

"That's terrible!" Anna exclaimed. "I wonder if he's done so yet?

"Naw," Obadiah said, cackling gleefully. "I done took care of that filthy bugger permanently, I did. He ain't going to tell on me no more and I ain't going to get punished, see? Did it in the confusion right after the battle in Assaye, so Sharpie has no idea what happened to his 'nanny'."

"So what happened with Sharpe, then?" Anna asked, shivering at the thought of how Obadiah must have disposed of the aging Colonel McCandless. "I suppose you couldn't go back and arrest him on account of the warrant being torn up?"

"That's right, missy," Obadiah said. "Sharpie found me not long after I did ol' McCandless in. He was lookin' for me on account of bein' angry that I'd tried to arrest him for his foul crime." Now looking murderous, he went on, "And not only that - he'd just been jumped up to bein' an officer - just as ensign, mind you - but still on officer, on account of somehow savin' Old Nosey's life. Can you believe that?"

"It _is_ hard to believe," Anna agreed. "He's nowhere near being as hard of a worker as you are."

"And then he tried to kill me, 'cos I wouldn't call him sir!" Obadiah reported indignantly, twitching again.

"What did he do?" Anna asked, alarmed, as she remembered how Sharpe had tried to kill Obadiah before by throwing him into a cage with tigers.

"There was one of them trained elephants hangin' around that the heathens use to execute men with," Obadiah explained. "When I wouldn't call him 'sir', Sharpe done threw me under that elephant until I had to give in and call him that, see?"

"Oh, my God!" Anna exclaimed, clutching his hand in dismay. "How did you get away?"

"I'm getting to that," he said, a hint of impatience creeping into his voice. "Even after I had to give in to him, he didn't let me go. He gave that elephant the command to put its big foot on my head to crush my skull, he did, but walked away before the filthy beast could do its business."

Now warming up to the subject, he continued, "Squeamish, he is. But good for me that he is, 'cos I had my knife in my pocket and I was able to stick it up inside that dumb beast's foot before it could kill me. I was able to roll away from it and by the time I made it back to the street, Sharpie was gone, no doubt thinking I was dead."

"Obadiah!" Anna cried, getting up and throwing herself into his arms, "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you! I think I'd kill Sharpe myself!"

Hakeswill chuckled appreciatively at her declaration. "I do believe you would do just that."

"I'd do anything for you," she vowed.

"Don't you worry none about me," he said after she'd returned to her seat. "I've had plenty of close calls with death during my time in the Army, see, and I haven't died yet. I'm pretty well convinced that they can't kill me. My dear departed mother looks after me from heaven as an angel, I'm thinking. As many times as I've cheated death over the years, startin' with me being hanged when I was a little 'un, I must be getting help from somewhere and who better than my own dear mother, the only woman who ever loved me before you came along."

"It would seem so," Anna said quietly. She didn't share Obadiah's confidence that he couldn't be killed, but if believing this comforted him, she wouldn't question it. "Just be careful and take care of yourself for me and the children, won't you?"

"'Course I will," he said, twitching. "You and the little 'uns were the last thing on my mind as I saw that big elephant's foot comin' at me."

"So, what did you do after that?" she asked.

"I went back to where the men were camped," he told her. "I was ready to come back home then, but then I met Captain Torrance who wanted me on his staff."

"Captain Torrance?" she repeated. "I've never heard of him. How did he know you?"

"He was wantin' to have some business dealings with Naig, and had heard that I knew him," Obadiah explained. "He wanted me to be the one to arrange and oversee things after Naig took him on as a partner. Didn't want to dirty his own hands, see?"

After taking a long drink, he continued, "I asked around and it seemed as if the man had a lot of debt and had to make a lot of money quickly, so's he could pay it off. I saw it as a good opportunity to make us some more money, 'cos he'd do as I told him if he wanted me to keep helping him."

"You certainly did send more money after you joined his staff," Anna observed.

"It went along good for awhile, until Sharpie turned up to join his staff and started stickin' his nose where it didn't belong," Obadiah said darkly. "He ended up getting Naig hanged, and made Naig's brother very unhappy with Captain Torrance about it."

"Sharpe seems to turn up everywhere, it seems," Anna said.

"Naig's brother wanted to eliminate Sharpie himself, so I told Captain Torrance I'd handle it and deliver him to Naig's brother, 'cos they were used to dealin' with me. Plus, I knew Sharpie had the Tippoo's jewels on him, so I thought I'd relieve him of those first before giving him up to Naig's brother. Deserved them, I did, for all the trouble Sharpie has given me over the years."

"Did you get them?" Anna asked eagerly.

"That I did, but I didn't get to keep them all that long," he admitted. "I'll tell you why a bit later on, 'cos I have other things to tell first."

"All right." She refilled his plate as he spoke.

"I thought everything had worked out as planned until Torrance and the heathen who worked for him both turned up dead and his maid ran off," Obadiah continued. "It looked like he'd done himself in, 'cos he had a pistol in his hand, but I knew in my bones that wasn't right. I knew as soon as I heard about it that Sharpie had got away from Naig's brother somehow and come back to take care of Torrance. Probably was wanting to get me, too, but I'd buggered off by then and rejoined the 33rd, 'cos they'd come up by then to be in the raid on Gawilghur. Figured it was best that I make myself scarce as much as I could, 'cos I knew Sharpie was out there."

"What happened then?"

"The night of the battle, the Captain had us all hunkered down on the approach road to the fort," he said. "I found me a good hiding spot, just in case Sharpie turned up. Good thing I did, too, 'cos Sharpie come by, claiming to be Colonel Kenny, sayin' he wanted to speak to the men. I heard him talk to two of my most trusted men, then heard some strange sounds, 'fore it went quiet again."

Twitching at the memory, he continued, "Then I heard him calling for me. I didn't answer and hid myself as best I could until he gave up and left. After he was gone, I came out and saw he'd done slit their throats."

"What did you do after that?"

"I knew I had to find me somewhere safe," he said. "I knew if I stayed with the 33rd that Sharpie would find me and he'd find me if I'd buggered off somewhere else. There was only one place I could go and be safe."

"Where?" she asked.

"I went to the fort and pretended be a deserter, telling them I wanted to join Dodd," he told her. "I figured that once they found the two dead men and me gone, they'd think that someone had come out of the fort, killed them, and took me prisoner, see?"

"Smart thinking," she opined. "How did you manage once you got inside?"

"Real good, I did," Obadiah told her. "Dodd made me an officer right away. I was in a good position. If Dodd won, then I was set as an officer. If our men won, then I could say I'd been taken prisoner. And there was a good chance Sharpie would die in battle, exceptin' he didn't. It seems that he's pretty hard to kill, too."

"No doubt," Anna said dryly.

"While the battle was going on, I went exploring inside the main building to see if I could find anything of value to take," he said. "In one room, I found out that one of them heathens had killed all his women. Horrible, it was, 'cos some of them was just girls." After taking a bite of food, he continued, "Dodd ended up losin', so I tried to slip out of the fort unnoticed with the other men. But Sharpie spotted me and came runnin' right over. He made me strip all my clothes off, right there in front of everyone, he did. Wanted his jewels back, see? And if that wasn't enough, he threw me into a snake pit, full of poisonous snakes."

"He's determined to kill you," Anna said, stating the obvious.

"But like before, he didn't stand 'round to make sure the snakes bit me," he went on. "He buggered off with all them jewels, leavin' me to the tender mercies of the snakes. They didn't get me, though. I managed to scramble out and get away. I didn't see Sharpie no more, so I just went back to the 33rd and came home with them."

"You've been through quite an ordeal, love," Anna said, taking his hand as they returned to bed. "I just want to hold you in my arms all night long."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Three days later, the word came down that the 33rd was being rotated back to England; that its service in India was at an end. As soon as he heard the news, Obadiah hurried home to tell Anna.

"Anna!" he called out as he threw the door to the stable open. "I've got good news!"

Looking up from the comfortable chair, where she was reading to the children, Anna asked, "What is it, Obadiah?"

"We're going home," he told her, twitching. "The order just came down that the 33rd is being sent back to England in two weeks!"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" she cried, clapping her hands together. "I can't wait for the children to see it for the first time." Jumping up from the chair, she added, "There's so much to do to get ready!"

"Slow down, missy," Obadiah said, chuckling. "We're going to have to leave most everything behind here. We'll be able to take our clothes and bedding, and a few keepsakes, but not much else."

"I don't want to leave behind the cradle you made," she said, frowning. "It means so much to me, because you made it yourself."

"I'll find a way to bring it along," he promised. "But no other furniture."

"I understand," she said. "The Gatekeeper's Lodge on my uncle's estate is fully furnished, so we'll have everything we need once we move into our new home."

Anna had been corresponding with her uncle for three and a half years and after recovering from his initial shock when he learned that Anna had married a ranker, he'd given her the Gatekeeper's Lodge on his estate in Surrey. The man wasn't pleased by her choice of husband, but had decided to make the best of the situation, rather than losing his niece entirely.

"That's right," Obadiah agreed happily. "Won't be that hard on us to get there, neither, once our ship puts in at Portsmouth. Glad your uncle's estate is in Surrey, rather than up north somewheres."

"That's a blessing," she agreed. "And we'll be able to pay for the stagecoach to get there, too."

"I'm hopin' I'll be able to be a recruitin' sergeant again once we get back home," Obadiah said. "It's easy duty and I'd be able to spend more time at home with you and the little 'uns if I did."

"I'm sure my uncle can use his influence if your superiors are reluctant to assign you to that again," Anna assured him.

"Shouldn't be no problem getting' it, as I've got experience doin' it," he said. "But no matter what I'll be doing when we get home, I'll just be glad to be back at last. The only good thing about India is that I met you here."

"I feel just the same way," Anna said, smiling broadly. "I can't wait for us to make a home together in England."


	20. Home Again

Four months after the Hakeswills had left India, they were nearly home. Obadiah and Anna stood at the rail of the ship that had been their temporary home, scanning the horizon intently for the first sight of England. Not long before, the lookouts in the crow's nest had spotted the misty outline of the English coast, so people gathered at the rail to get their first view they'd seen of home in a very long time.

As the hazy outline turned into a firm shoreline, Obadiah hoisted Barry onto his shoulder and pointed. "There's your new home, boy, see? It's where we came from."

"Does that mean we can get off the boat now, Da?" Barry asked, trying not to whine, because his Da didn't like whining. "This boat stinks, it does."

In a good humour, Obadiah laughed heartily at his son's astute observations. "That it does," he agreed. "And we'll be on dry land soon enough."

Putting the boy down, he said, "Now let's have Bridget get her a look."

The little girl wasn't as interested in looking at the dark strip of land in the distance, but was just happy to be in her father's arms. Father and daughter stood for a long moment looking into the distance as the breeze rippled through her hair.

"How long do you think it will be until we land?" Anna asked, as she stood by her husband at the rail.

"A few hours, I'd guess," Obadiah said, twitching. "It's a good thing we got everything packed up yesterday, so's we wouldn't have to rush around today. When we dock, we'll be able to be one of the first ones off this old tub. Always pays to think ahead, it does."

"You're so right," Anna agreed. "I know the children will be happy to get on dry land as soon as possible." Drawing her shawl closer, she shivered, then said, "It will take me awhile to get used to English weather again after being in India so long. I'm so glad I spent time on board ship making warmer clothing for the children."

"It will be good to have proper English weather again," Obadiah said fervently. "I'll like not to have to roast all the time any more."

"I must agree," Anna said, sighing. "It will be good to go through this pregnancy in cooler weather."

Anna had become pregnant for the third time six weeks into their voyage. As there hadn't been much to keep busy with on their long voyage, Anna and Obadiah had spent a lot of time in their bunk together. So, it hadn't been much of a surprise when she'd turned up pregnant again.

"Our first little 'un born on English soil, it will be," he noted. "Not the last, either, I expects."

"I'm glad we were able to bring the cradle along," she said. "I would have been heartbroken if we'd had to have left it behind."

Obadiah grinned, glad that it was so easy to make Anna happy. Hoisting Barry onto his shoulder, he said, "We'd best get below now and start getting our things ready to disembark. Don't need to wait 'til the last minute, we shouldn't."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Several hours later, after the Hakeswills had finally disembarked in Portsmouth, Obadiah found an inn for the family to stay in for the night, as it had been late afternoon by the time they'd left the ship. Because of the children, it was too late to get started for Surrey, so they decided to get a fresh start early the next morning.

Just before leaving the ship, Obadiah had received written permission from Captain Morris to take a month long furlough before reporting back to duty. Morris had also rewarded him for all his help in India by giving him the assignment he wanted as recruitment sergeant.

After getting settled at the inn, Anna had written a note to advise her uncle of their impending arrival, which Obadiah had paid a messenger to take on ahead. It wouldn't provide much notice of their arrival, but it would be better than showing up at the estate entirely unannounced. It couldn't be helped, because they'd left India on such short notice that they'd not been able to write ahead to let him know they were coming.

Later that night, Obadiah Hakeswill laid awake in bed, unable to sleep. His arm was wrapped protectively around Anna, who was fast asleep, The children, too, were peacefully slumbering in a trundle bed on the floor. Staring up at the ceiling, he turned his head to look out the window at the starry English sky in appreciation. He'd not been home in ten years, so the knowledge that he now rested on home soil especially comforted him.

Ten years ago, he could not have imagined that he'd one day return home with a wife and family. Obadiah had resigned himself to being alone for the rest of his life, having to be satisfied with occasional sex from whores and the wives of his men. The idea of being a father and raising children would have been a completely inconceivable notion. For the longest time, he'd convinced himself that the army was enough of a family for him. Tightening his grip on his wife and glancing down at his sleeping children, he knew this was no longer true. For the first time in his life since his mother died, there were three people who cared whether he lived or died

But he was nevertheless still grateful to the army and what it had done for him and always would be. It had literally saved his life by taking him in when he was twelve and on the run from the law after being hanged. It had given him purpose and a sense of belonging, where he could use his natural talents. And, indeed, it had also made possible the family that now shared his room.

Hakeswill could hardly imagine a life without the army. Though he and Anna now had a sizable amount of money from her father and from what he had been able to make illegally while in the army, it wouldn't be enough to keep them for the rest of their lives. And he was canny enough to know that his particular set of talents would not be useful in the civilian world, without the structure of the army to protect him.

Being reassigned to duty as a recruitment sergeant would allow Obadiah the best of both worlds. He'd have the familiar structure of the army behind him that would facilitate him continuing to hatch the schemes that had made him good money in the past. But it would also allow him to remain home in England, close to his young family. Settling back in utter contentment, he closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

The Hakeswills rose at dawn the next morning, eager to be off to their new home. After a hearty breakfast, Obadiah went to see when the next stage would leave heading toward Surrey. Anna arranged for a packed lunch, then took both children to the outhouse to make sure they'd be ready to sit in a coach for several hours.

Once this was done, Anna took the children to wait out front with their belongings. Obadiah soon returned, with the stagecoach appearing scant moments later.

"You ready to go?" Obadiah said as the coach pulled to a halt in front of them.

"More than ready," Anna assured them. "I took the children to the outhouse and I got a packed lunch from the inn's kitchen, so we're all set."

"Good," he said, pleased. "I paid the driver some extra, so's we wouldn't have to ride with a bunch of stinkin' strangers up our faces. Easier on the little 'uns that way, it will be."

Kissing him on the cheek in gratitude, she said, "That was so thoughtful of you, Obadiah. I'm feeling rather queasy and I don't think I could have borne a crowded coach. It will be difficult enough just keeping the children entertained."

"I aims to please, I do," he said as he helped her into the coach. Once Anna and the children were settled inside, he added, "Let me make sure all our things are properly loaded, then I'll be with you. Won't be but a few minutes."

He climbed into the coach a short time later and settled himself next to Anna. She'd brought pillows and a blanket, so the children could nap on the other seat.

After they set off, neither Barry nor Bridget wanted to sleep. They'd never ridden in a stagecoach before, so they looked out the window in fascination as the unfamiliar English countryside slowly rolled by. But it wasn't long before the coach's motion lulled them into drowsiness. Within a short time, both children had fallen asleep on their seat.

"Thought they'd never go to sleep, I didn't," Obadiah said, leaning back comfortably. Giving his wife a knowing leer, he added, "If they wasn't here, I knows what you and I would be doing right now." Cackling softly, he said, "Think we could risk it?"

"No!" Anna exclaimed. "They'd surely awaken if we tried that." Kissing his bony cheek, she added, "But it's not that I don't want to. Perhaps it's for the best, as I still have an upset stomach."

Sighing loudly, Obadiah speculated, "Ridin' in this coach ain't helping matters none, I wouldn't think."

"Surely you can wait until tonight," she admonished gently.

"I thinks I'll take me a nap, too," he decided, grumbling. "Makes the time go by faster, it does."

After Obadiah had joined his children in slumber, Anna tried to nap as well, but was unable to fall asleep. The jolting coach had increased her nausea, making her unable to relax. Resigned to it, she pulled some knitting out of her bag. At least if she couldn't sleep, she could do something useful.

The trip passed uneventfully, with one stop for lunch and a short period for the children to run around awhile to work off some energy. Then they were on their way once more after everyone had taken the opportunity to relieve themselves.

About an hour before sundown, they stopped for the night at another inn, which was somewhat shabbier than the one they'd used in Portsmouth. Another day's travel would bring them to the estate of Anna's uncle.

Anna staggered a bit after Obadiah had helped her down to the ground. The children were full of energy and raring to go, but she was worn out. Her stomach was roiling from the long, jouncing ride, which seemed worse now that they'd stopped.

"I'm going to go sit on that bench while you see about getting us a room," Anna said, pointing to a bench on the side of the inn. "I need to have some fresh air; it might make me feel better."

"All right," he agreed, twitching. "I'll do that, then I'll see to our things. That should be enough time so's you can gather your wits."

"I'll be waiting here," she said blearily as he moved off with the children on his heels. But no sooner had Obadiah and the children left, than she felt the gorge rising in her throat. Jumping up, Anna ran to the back of the inn, where a wooden rubbish barrel stood. Leaning over it, she regurgitated her lunch into it in great heaving waves.

Bridget Hakeswill lagged behind Barry and her Da as they hurried to the front of the building. Just as they were turning the corner, she noticed an orange tiger-striped cat standing by a tree.

"Kitty!' she called out, running to it, oblivious to the fact that her brother and father kept walking, unaware that she'd been behind them. Bridget hurried over to pet the cat, who ran, startled by the sudden approach of the little girl.

Giggling happily, she chased the animal down a hill, determined to catch it.

A moment later Anna lifted her head from the barrel, her stomach now empty, so she did not see her daughter run after the cat. She was not concerned as she staggered back to the bench, because she assumed that Bridget had gone inside with Obadiah.

Within moments, Obadiah returned, with Barry tagging enthusiastically behind him.

"I got us a good room, I did," he began, looking around for Bridget. "Where's Bridget?" The slightly raised pitch of his voice was the only indication of his concern. He'd seen some rough-looking buggers on the way inside the inn, so this ratcheted up his sense of alarm.

"I thought she was with you!" Anna cried jumping up from the bench. "I had go around back to throw up as soon as you left. I saw her following you!" Grabbing her husband by the arm, she exclaimed, "Oh, Obadiah! You have to find her!'

"I'll find her right away, I will," he croaked, trying to hide his agitation from Anna. Obadiah Hakeswill had seen death in all its forms in his years in the army, and had caused quite a few of those deaths himself, without batting an eye. But this was different; it was his own flesh and blood and he'd do anythingto protect her.

"You stays here at the bench and hold on to Barry, see?" Obadiah ordered. "I'll go find her. Don't you move none. I shouldn't be gone too long - I hopes."

Using his army training, he quickly canvassed the area in and around the inn. He located the same filthy buggers he'd seen earlier, but this didn't ease his mind much. Where there were a few pieces of gutter filth, there were bound to be more nearby.

Seeing no sign of her near the inn, he began searching in a wider circle. Finally, as he sprinted down a hill not far from the inn, he heard the sound of childish laughter, which was music to his ears. Coming to a quiet meadow, he spied his young daughter frolicking through the wild flowers, playing with a big orange cat.

He stopped to collect himself as the adrenaline rush washed out of his system, his face twitching, thankful that Bridget was safe and sound.

At that moment, the little girl turned and grinned widely when she saw her father. "Lookie, Da, Kitty!' she announced in a matter of fact tone. "Want kitty!"

"Yep, it's a nice cat, it is," Obadiah said, twitching again as he scooped her up into his arms and held her close. "But this kitty has people who he lives with here, he does. We can't take him."

Seeing his daughter begin to pout, he quickly added, "But you can have your very own cat when we get to our new house. I promise."

Now mollified, she snuggled closer to her father as they walked back to the inn. "Want to eat now."

Chuckling to himself, he knew that Bridget hadn't the foggiest idea of what she'd just put her parents through. As he reached the top of the hill, with the tired toddler resting her head on his bony shoulder, Anna caught sight of them. She jumped up from the bench to run to them, grasping Barry's hand firmly.

"Bridget!" she cried in tearful relief.. "You had me and your Da so scared! Don't you ever run off again without one of us with you!"

Putting one arm around Anna and drawing her close, Obadiah murmured, "She's all right. Saw her a cat, she did, and ran after it. Didn't think, 'cos she's two years old and ain't got no sense yet."

"All's well that end well, I suppose," Anna said in a shaky voice. Reaching up to kiss him on the cheek, she murmured, "Thank you for finding her, Obadiah. I don't know what I'd do if we'd lost her!"

Kissing her back, he replied, "As long as I'm around, you'll never have to find out."

Anna put the children to bed shortly after they ate their supper, with Bridget falling asleep almost immediately, tired out from her adventures. Barry wasn't far behind her. Obadiah and Anna had an early night as well, glad to have the day behind them at last.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Late the next afternoon, the coach finally rumbled to a halt at the main house on her uncle's estate. As they rolled up the tree-lined lane leading to the mansion, Obadiah was suitably impressed, but not awed. After seeing the palatial accommodations of the Tippoo, he didn't think he'd ever see anything again that would top it. Still, it was a big step up the in the world for him, considering his rudely humble origins. He only wished his mother could have seen it and that he could have shared his good fortune with her.

"Here we are!" Anna said cheerfully. "I've not been to the estate since well before we left for India, so I could not tell you where our Gatekeeper's Lodge is. It's obviously on the other side of the estate, because I didn't see anything that met the description as we entered the grounds."

"I'm sure he'll get one of his servants to take us there," Obadiah reasoned.

As he spoke, two footmen hurried down from the house to meet the coach. Before Obadiah could get out to help Anna and the children down, a footman opened the door and reached for Anna's hand. Obadiah bristled because he preferred to be the one assisting his wife, but he restrained himself from reacting when Anna gave him a warning glance. As he watched his family exit the coach, he remembered their conversation in bed the previous night about what to expect in a household with servants.

The two footmen looked at one another in amused astonishment when they took a good look at Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill as he finally alighted from the coach. Surely this was not the young woman's husband!

But their confusion was ended when Obadiah stepped up to them and barked, "Get our things down from the coach, so's the stage driver can be on his way. Move smartly now!" Knowing there was nothing for it, the two young men moved to obey.

Hakeswill smiled to himself as he accompanied his family to the house. _There's nothing to it when it comes to handling servants_, he thought. _Just treat them like privates!_

They were met at the door by an officious looking man in his late fifties who looked down his long nose at the rawboned sergeant as if he'd just smelled a particularly noxious odour. Nearly as thin as the scrawny Hakeswill, he was several inches taller.

Anna recognized the man as her uncle's butler, whom she'd seen on previous trips to the estate as a child.

Turning to address the butler before he could say something rude to Obadiah, Anna said, "Cameron, how nice to see you again. I do believe my uncle should be expecting us?"

"Yes, there was a message left yesterday evening," the butler sniffed, his tone of voice betraying what he thought of such short notice. "Please come in and wait in the first room on your left while I inform your uncle of your arrival."

"That one needs my pike stuck up his pompous arse, he does," Obadiah muttered after the snobbish butler had left in search of Archibald Perkins.

Anna couldn't help but laugh, because she felt exactly the same way. "Just be patient awhile longer, love," she advised. "We'll be in our own home before you know it and we can hire our own servants."

"Looking forward to it, I am," he told her, settling himself in a chair.


	21. Settling In

A short time later, Archibald Perkins breezed into the room where the Hakeswills sat waiting. Perkins was a tall, barrel-chested man with an officious manner, who had recently celebrated his sixtieth birthday.

"Uncle Archibald, it's wonderful to see you!" Anna greeted him, moving into the open arms of his embrace. "You're looking well."

"As are you," he replied, hugging her in welcome. "India no doubt agreed with you. My only regret is that Horace did not live to return home with you."

"I'm glad to be home," she said fervently. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to give more notice of our arrival, but we left India on such short notice that there wasn't time to send a letter ahead." Easing out of his embrace, she turned to where her husband sat with the children and said, "Uncle, allow me to introduce you to my husband, Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill and our children, Barabbas and Caroline Bridget."

Looking over Anna's shoulder, Perkins took his first long look at Obadiah Hakeswill. He frowned at the sight of the rawboned sergeant, as it was obvious to him that this man came from the very dregs of society. The angry-looking scar that ringed his neck was a dead giveaway; obviously, the man had survived a hanging at some point in his life.

When Percival Farquhar had returned from his unsuccessful mission to escort Anna home from India almost four years previously, the solicitor had told him that she had married a ranker, but had not gone into detail describing him, except to say that Anna was devoted to him. When Farquhar had given him the news, Perkins had assumed Anna's husband was a "gentleman ranker"; that is, a man of the middling sort who had fallen on hard times and had sought anonymity in the army. It had never occurred to him that she would marry a man from the gutters. At some point, he would take Anna aside and get the story from her of how she ended up with this man, as he could never imagine his brother giving permission for such a match.

But for now, he turned to reluctantly acknowledge Obadiah Hakeswill. "Pleased to meet you, Mr Perkins, sir," Hakeswill said in his best toadying sergeant's voice.

"That's _Sir_ Archibald," Perkins corrected haughtily. "I am a baronet, after all." Hakeswill's gaffe only confirmed what he already thought about the man.

Moving in to distract the two men before Obadiah could reply, Anna nudged Barry forward, while she held Bridget up for her uncle to see. "Say hello to your Uncle Archibald, children."

Barry managed a quick "h'lo" before running back over to his father, but Bridget was having none of it. The toddler buried her head on her mother's shoulder and refused to even look at her great-uncle.

"I'm sorry Uncle, but they are exhausted from our travels, after all," Anna apologized. "We'll get better acquainted after they've had time to settle in."

"Yes, of course," he conceded, glad to have an excuse to end this awkward first meeting. "Cameron has arranged to have your belongings loaded on a wagon and sent to your new home right away. Your Aunt Catherine has already hired a cook and a maid and had the larder stocked. Word of your arrival has been sent to the servants and I expect there will be a meal waiting for you upon your arrival."

"Oh, do thank her for me," Anna said sincerely. "I look forward to seeing her."

"She is unfortunately indisposed at the current time, but she will expect you for tea some time in the coming week and will send word telling you what day to come."

"I look forward to seeing her," Anna said. "Do give her my best and tell her I hope she's feeling better."

"I shall certainly do so," Perkins responded.

At that moment, the butler entered the room and spoke quietly with Perkins for a moment.

Turning back to his niece, the older man said, "Cameron informs me that your carriage is ready to take you and your family to the Gatekeeper's Lodge."

"I hope to see you again, soon," Anna said formally as she followed Obadiah out of the room.

"We will have you to dinner some time in the near future," Perkins said vaguely.

A few moments later, as the Hakeswills were rattling down the lane that led to their new home, Anna said, sighing, "I'm sorry, Obadiah, that Uncle was so rude to you."

"Don't you worry none about that, missy," Obadiah said, patting her knee. "Buggers like me are used to such treatment from the posh types, see? And considerin' how those sorts of buggers usually treats us rankers, it wasn't so bad. He didn't throw me out, after all, or try to take you away from me. As long as he treats you and the little 'uns good and doesn't try to take my place as head of the family, there won't be no problem." Leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek, he added, "As long as I have you and the little 'uns, I'll be happy. I don't expects to spend much time with your uncle, 'cos I don't want to know him any more than he wants to know me."

"But you'll like my Aunt Catherine, I just know you will," Anna predicted. "She was so good to me after my mother died and is almost like a second mother to me. Aunt Catherine has never been able to have children of her own, so I'm the daughter she never had."

"She'll probably not think I'm good enough for you, she won't," he said.

"Oh, no, I don't think she will think that," Anna confided in him. "You see, she's Uncle's second wife and she's the daughter of a minister, from a middling family at best. Uncle's first wife died giving birth to their third son, so he was free to marry strictly for love the second time. I was just a little girl when they married, but I know that the family greatly disapproved when he married her, though, not quite so much as they would have had he not already had an heir. Still, the family treated her rather shabbily for years and I don't imagine she's still completely accepted by them."

"She kind of knows what it's like then, she does," Obadiah said. "But being a minister's daughter ain't exactly like where I came from."

"Just give her a chance," Anna said. "That's all I ask. You may be pleasantly surprised."

"All right, missy," he said, chuckling.

A moment later the carriage went around a bend to reveal the Gatekeeper's Lodge, the Hakeswills' new home.

Leaning back to address Obadiah as he brought the carriage to a halt, the carriage driver said, "There it is, mate. Yer new home, it is."

Though a far cry from the mansion they had just left, Obadiah was suitably impressed with the two-storey brick home that stood before them. The arched entryway was a small tower; a turret. Never in all his life would he have ever expected to live in a home this grand. As he helped Anna and the children to alight, he knew this house would be plenty big enough for all of them with room to spare.

"Let's give it a good look around, missy," he said, taking Anna's hand as the carriage drove away. Walking around the structure, they saw it was longer than it was wide, with what appeared to be servants' quarters at the rear of the house near the kitchen. A small stable stood some distance at the rear of the property, with a chicken coop nearby. Obadiah looked inside the stable to find a milk cow, placidly standing inside her stall as she chewed her cud. A second stall stood empty, just waiting for the horse that the army would issue him to assist in the performance of his duties as recruiting sergeant.

"Oh, it will be wonderful to have fresh milk and eggs again," Anna said, enthused, as she stood just outside the stable. Gesturing around the clover-covered lawn bordered by large shade trees, she said, "And the children will have plenty of room to play and won't have to stay inside cooped up all day." Taking Obadiah's arm as they walked back around to enter the house from the front, she concluded, "I think we're going to be very happy here."

As they herded the children inside the arched doorway a moment later, Obadiah noticed that the belongings they'd brought from India, including the cradle, were piled neatly to the left of the entryway. They found themselves in a good-sized room, which contained a large commodious sofa and several comfortable chairs. Filled bookcases lined the walls with a fireplace to the left.

"Oh, my," Anna said as she surveyed the bookcases. "There's enough here to keep me reading for a few years!" Looking more closely, she added, "There are even children's books here! That will make teaching the children how to read so much easier."

"And you'll be a good teacher, too," Obadiah told her. "Even my own reading has got better since we've been together, it has."

"You read perfectly well when we first met," Anna assured him. "You've just had a chance to read more than army related documents since then, is all."

At that moment, a petite young woman appeared through a doorway in the rear of the room. Bobbing briefly in an abbreviated curtsey, she said, "You must be the Hakeswills. I'm yer new maid, Bessie." With a slight gesture behind her, she added, "And Mrs Harris, yer new cook, is in the kitchen making your dinner, which should be ready in about an hour, Mrs Hakeswill."

Smiling at the nervous young woman - barely more than a girl, actually, Anna said, "Thank you, Bessie. You've done a fine job making the house tidy for our arrival. You may continue with what you were doing, as Sergeant Hakeswill and I will spend the time before dinner inspecting the house."

"Yes, Ma'am," the servant acknowledged deferentially. She was startled by the appearance of Obadiah Hakeswill. He looked to be a rough sort and it was obvious to her that the new mistress of the house had married beneath her. She couldn't wait to get back to the kitchen to tell Mrs Harris about their new employers.

Going through another doorway to the left of the entrance, a staircase appeared to their right, with a door to another room on their left, with another door on the right just past the staircase. Obadiah opened the door to the left to find a room furnished with heavy, masculine furniture: another sofa and two chairs, along with a round table, perfect for playing cards. A heavy desk made of a dark wood with a comfortable chair behind it was flanked by two more bookcases.

"This is your office, Obadiah," Anna said, surveying the room carefully. "I do hope there will be a sewing room for me."

"An office, just for me," Obadiah marvelled, pleased with the well-appointed room. "If ol' Sharpie could just see me now!"

"He'd be green with envy, I'm sure," Anna said, squeezing his arm affectionately.

"Mother would have been glad to see me come up in the world," he said in a quieter voice, twitching. "I just wish I could be bringin' her here to live with us, I do."

"I know you do, love," she said, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Let's see the rest of the house," he said abruptly, moving out of the office,

Opening the door on the opposite side of the hall, they found a dining room, with the table already set for dinner. Going through the door on the opposite end of the room, they entered a much smaller room, with a small, round table and chairs by a bay window.

"A breakfast nook," Anna explained to Obadiah. "Much less formal than the room we just left, which is meant for when we have guests for dinner."

"Seems kind of daft to have two rooms just for eatin'," he observed, shaking his head in wonderment.

Going through the door to the right, they found the kitchen and their two servants busily working on dinner. A smaller table and two chairs were against one wall, which was where the two women ate their meals.

The cook, Mrs Harris, was a stout, redheaded woman in her fifties. She turned from her work to greet the Hakeswills as they came into the room.

"You must be Mrs Harris," Anna said before the older woman could speak. "Everything smells so good.""Thank you, Mrs Hakeswill," Mrs Harris replied. "I'll have a hearty meal ready for you and the Sergeant in just a little while. And the wee ones, too, of course."

"I look forward to it," Anna said. "Give me a day or two to settle in and I'll go over meal planning with you."

"Yes, Ma'am," the older woman said. "You'll find the pantry fully stocked and I can get anything else you might require."

As the two women chatted, Obadiah looked around the room, opening three doors that led to the pantry, outside, and to two tiny rooms, which were the servants' quarters.

"We'll leave you to it, then," Anna said, as they headed to a fourth door that led back to the front room.

"I wonder how many bedrooms we got?" Obadiah asked as they traipsed up the stairs.

"I'm sure there are enough for us all and then some," Anna predicted. "We won't be crowded at all in this house."

It was so. Both she and Obadiah opened doors along the corridor to find four bedrooms. Anna opened a fifth door to find a room much smaller than the others.

"I have my sewing room!" she said happily.

"Never mind that for now, missy," he said, a lopsided grin on his face. "Let's go look at _our_ bedroom. I has to see if the bed will be sturdy enough."

"All right, Obadiah," she said, laughing. "I know what you're thinking about, but you'll have to wait until we've eaten and I've put the children to bed."

"What a lovely room," Anna said a moment later as she inspected their room. A large comfortable bed dominated the room, which also contained two wardrobes and a nightstand on either side of the bed. A large window overlooked the carriage lane where Anna could see the gate leading out of the estate grounds.

"It'll do," Obadiah said a moment later as he sat down on the bed, bouncing a bit to test its strength. "Comfortable, it is."

Leaving the window, Anna entered the small, circular tower room, which was to the left when one entered the bedroom from the hall. It had three narrow windows and an upholstered circular settee built into the wall. "Oh, what a cozy, little room! This will be a nice quiet place to read and I can probably use it as a dressing room as well."

"I can think of something else we can use it for," Obadiah said, coming up behind her in the little round room, leaning over to nibble at her neck, as his arms went around her.

With an almost girlish giggle, she said as she turned to kiss him, "I don't think I've ever met anyone as single-minded as you are, Obadiah."

"I can't help it," he rumbled. "I just loves you, Anna."

"And I love you, Obadiah," she murmured. Reluctantly breaking away, she said, "I suppose we'd best go down to dinner before we start something we can't properly finish now."

"I am hungry," he conceded. "Let's eat. The bed will still be here when we get back."

"Me, too," she agreed as they left the bedroom to collect the children for dinner. "I'm so glad to be home at last."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_**Author's Note:** To see photos of the Gatekeeper's Lodge, the Hakeswills' new home, visit my blog which can be accessed through my profile._


	22. A Visitor

Obadiah and Anna didn't do much for the first few days in their new home. They and the children were still worn out from their long voyage from India and they wanted nothing more than to relax and do nothing.

Predictably, however, the children perked up quickly and were soon full of energy, which pretty much ended Anna's time of lassitude. Several days after their arrival, Anna and Obadiah were awakened early one morning by the children running into their room and jumping on the bed.

"Time to get up!" Barry announced in a chirpy little voice as he jostled his father's arm. "Bridget and me want to play outside."

Obadiah grumbled incoherently as he turned over and immediately fell back asleep, snoring softly.

"Come here, Barry," Anna murmured sleepily from her side of the bed. "Don't wake your father."

"I want Da to come outside with me," Barry insisted in a somewhat lower tone of voice. "He said he would last night."

Easing herself out of bed, Anna took her children by the hand out of the bedroom. "And so he will this afternoon," she told him firmly, after shutting the bedroom door behind them. "Right now, you and Bridget need to get dressed for breakfast."

After helping both children to dress, Anna went back to the bedroom to throw a morning gown on over her shift. Obadiah was half awake as she re-entered the room.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, his eyes half open as he watched Anna dress.

"It's about seven-thirty, I would think," Anna estimated. "I'm going to take the children downstairs for breakfast. There's no need for you to hurry to get up."

"I'll be down in a little bit," Obadiah said, yawning. "Just give me a few minutes to wake up proper, eh?"

"Take your time," Anna said, kissing him on the cheek just before going to the door. "I'll make sure Mrs Harris starts a pot of coffee for you."

"'Preciate it," he said.

A moment later, as Anna reached the bottom of the stairs the with children in tow, she smelled a mouth-watering aroma coming from the kitchen.

"Mmm, something smells good, Mama," Barry said, tugging on his mother's skirt. "I'm hungry!."

"Me, too," Bridget added eagerly.

"Let's eat, then," their mother told them as she shepherded them into the breakfast nook. "I'm sure Mrs Harris has made us a wonderful breakfast."

No sooner had Anna seated the children at the table, than Bessie appeared bearing steaming plates full of food.

"How did you know we were here?" Anna asked, mystified. "I hadn't rung the dinner bell yet."

"The wee ones," Bessie said, smiling. "They weren't exactly quiet coming down the stairs."

"Ah, yes, of course," Anna said, smiling. "They certainly can be rambunctious."

"My little brothers and sisters are just the same," Bessie said, as she set the flood on the table. "Will the Sergeant be joinin' you?"

"He'll be down in a little while," Anna told the maid. "Please make sure there will be a pot of coffee ready for him. I will have tea and the children will have milk."

"Yes, Mrs Hakeswill," Bessie acknowledged. "Right away."

When the young woman returned with the teapot and a pitcher of fresh milk from the children, she said, "Mrs Harris just put on a pot of coffee for the Sergeant."

"Excellent," Anna said, smiling. "Please tell Mrs Harris that I will meet with her shortly after breakfast to go over the menus for next week."

"Right away, Mrs Hakeswill," she replied, waiting to be dismissed.

"Oh, I'll also need you to remain available to watch the children for awhile when I am conferring with Mrs Harris."

No sooner had the young maid disappeared back into the kitchen, than Obadiah came into the breakfast nook, wearing just his trousers and shirt, open at the neck, along with the bedroom slippers Anna had knitted for him back in India.

"Did you leave anything for your Da?" Obadiah asked the children as he seated himself at the table. 'The two of you are bottomless pits, you are."

The two children giggled, as this was something their father asked them nearly every day as part of their morning routine.

"There's plenty for you Obadiah," Anna said, smiling, as she handed him the bacon.

"What are you going to do today, missy?" he asked as they continued to eat.

"I'm going to go over meal plans with Mrs Harris," she told him. "I want to make sure she'll make all the things we like."

"Good idea" he said, twitching. "I don't want nothin' all that fancy. Just good hearty food. I'm a meat and potatoes man, myself."

A short time later, Anna wiped her mouth, then got up from the table. "I'm going to change my clothes before I meet with Mrs Harris. The next time Bessie comes in, tell her I'll be down to see Mrs Harris shortly. Bessie will be taking charge of the children after they finish eating, so Mrs Harris and I can chat in peace."

"All right, missy," Obadiah said affably, taking a sip of his coffee. "I'll just sit here and finish eatin', then I'll have me a smoke when I'm done."

"Remember that you promised to take the children outside this afternoon," she reminded him.

"I didn't forget," he told her, his tone somewhat terse. "Barry won't let me forget."

"No, he won't," Anna said, chuckling.

Twenty minutes later, now freshly dressed in a clean day dress and shoes, Anna entered the kitchen from the front room door. She found Mrs Harris busily washing the breakfast dishes as she stepped through the door.

The older woman immediately stopped what she was doing and turned to give Anna her complete attention. "Bessie said you wished to speak with me, Mrs Hakeswill?"

Indicating the small table against the wall, Anna said, "Yes, I do. Why don't we sit down so we can be more comfortable."

"I thought we'd go over some basic menu ideas today," Anna began. "Sergeant Hakeswill has been in the army for most of his life, so he doesn't care for anything elaborate and especially nothing French. He's happiest with basic home cooking that's tasty and filling, and he loves cakes, pies, and pastries."

"I understand," Mrs Harris said. "He sounds just like my late husband, God rest his soul."

"I may want something more adventurous from time to time, but mostly I will expect meals as I've outlined," Anna said.

"I understand," the older woman said. "It won't be no problem makin' anything you want, because I love to cook."

Meanwhile, Obadiah had finished his breakfast and left the breakfast nook to go upstairs to finish dressing for the day. Bessie had taken the children while Anna was talking with Mrs Harris, so he decided that he'd go do a bit of fishing before lunch. He'd spotted a creek not too far from their property when he'd been out walking the day before and had found a perfect spot from which to fish. While exploring the interior of the stable that same day, he'd found a fishing pole and hooks, so he was all set to go.

During his time in the army, Obadiah had many times had the occasion to fish. When he was a little boy, he'd often sneaked off to do some fishing so that he and his mother would have a bit more to eat than the parish had allotted them. There had been many days where he and his mother wouldn't have had much at all to eat if he had not gone fishing.

Just as he was about to go up the stairs, he heard a knock on the front door. Knowing that Bessie was out back with the children and Mrs Harris was busy with Anna, he went to get the door himself.

Obadiah opened the door to find one of the same footmen that had met them at the carriage when they'd first arrived at Archibald Perkins' mansion the other day. He looked quizzically at the man, who was extending a small white card to him. Taking the card, he glanced at it to read "Lady Perkins".

"What's this for?" he asked the footman, confused, as he turned the card over to see if there was anything written there.

"Lady Perkins sends her compliments to Mrs Hakeswill," the footman explained, rolling his eyes at the clueless sergeant. Indicating where a woman in her early fifties sat waiting in a carriage, he continued, "Lady Perkins is leaving her calling card to let Mrs Hakeswill know that she paid a call."

"She came all the way out here just to leave a card and don't even want to come in and visit with my wife?" Obadiah said, scratching his head. "Makes no sense at all, it don't."

The footman shrugged, then said, "That's just how it's done. It don't make much sense to me, either."

"Obadiah, what's going on?" Anna had heard the knock from the kitchen and had come to see who it was, having mostly finished with her meeting with Mrs Harris.

He turned to find his wife striding toward him. "This servant of your uncle's just came to the door with a card that has your aunt's name printed on it," he said, twitching. "Seems that she wants you to have it, but don't want to come in to see you."

"For heaven's sake, Obadiah," Anna said. "You shouldn't be opening the door yourself. That's for the servants to do." Turning to the footman still waiting at the door, she said, "Tell Lady Perkins that I am at home and am inviting her to tea."

"Standing in the doorway, you are," Obadiah muttered as he turned to go up the steps. "The woman can easily see you're at home from out there in that carriage."

"Go on with you, now, Obadiah," Anna said, half-jokingly, shooing him to the stairs. "Finish getting dressed, so Aunt Catherine can see how handsome you are in your uniform."

"I'm goin', I'm goin'," he said irritably as he started up the steps, "Bunch of fussy, female folderol, is what it is."

Anna sighed as the sounds of his grumbling faded away as he climbed the stairs. She couldn't be angry with him, however, as all of this was a entirely new and unfamiliar world for Obadiah. He'd been in the army since he'd been a boy and he knew nothing else other than the abject poverty of his childhood. The poor dear - she'd just have to be patient with him until he became accustomed to it all.

She turned back to the door just as her aunt came inside the house, with the footman waiting at the door for further instructions.

"Aunt Catherine!" she called out, opening her arms to hug the other woman. "It's so wonderful to see you again, at last!"

"You look radiant," the older woman said, after they broke the hug and took a good look at one another. It had been several years since they'd last been together. "Marriage and motherhood seem to agree with you."

"Oh, yes," Anna said, smiling shyly. "We're very happy."

"Where is that husband of yours?" Catherine Perkins asked eagerly. "I'm looking forward to meeting him. And the children - where are they?"

"Obadiah is upstairs getting dressed and will be down momentarily," Anna explained. "And the children are out back with the maid. I'll have them come inside in a little while for you to meet." Gesturing to a comfortable chair near the fireplace, she added, "Why don't you make yourself comfortable while I tell the cook to make us a pot of tea. I won't be just a moment."

Turning to the footman still standing in the doorway, she said, "If you and the carriage driver will go around to the back kitchen door, the cook will let you in and give you something to eat while we visit."

"Thank you, Mrs Hakeswill," the man said. "We'll do just that."

Breezing into the kitchen, she found Mrs Harris cleaning the kitchen. "Mrs Harris, my aunt has just arrived for a visit. Would you please brew us a pot of tea?"

"Right away, Mrs Hakeswill," the woman replied. "I have some fresh pastries that I can also serve if you like."

"Yes, that would be excellent," Anna agreed. "Please have Bessie bring the children in after a little while so my aunt can meet them."

After the cook had acknowledged her instructions, Anna returned to her aunt and took a seat across from her on the sofa.

"The cook is brewing us a pot of tea now and the maid will bring the children in shortly," Anna announced as she sat down.

"Wonderful," her aunt said, reaching over to squeeze Anna's hand. "It's so good to have you home at last and living nearby. I look forward to spending a great deal of time with you and getting to know your family."

"I'm glad to be home," Anna told Lady Perkins.

At that moment, Obadiah Hakeswill returned to the room, now fully dressed in his uniform, which was faded and well-worn. He intended to have a new uniform made for his recruiting duties and Anna had promised to ask her aunt to recommend a tailor.

Reaching her hand out to take his, Anna said, "Aunt Catherine, I'd like you to meet my husband, Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill." Turning to Obadiah, she said, "Obadiah, this is my Aunt Catherine, Lady Perkins."

"Pleased to meet you, Lady Perkins," Obadiah said, twitching, as he seated himself on the sofa, close to his wife."

"Likewise," the older woman said with a genuine smile. "And you must call me Aunt Catherine, as you are family now." She'd wondered what this man's story was, noticing his twitch as she'd spotted the scar around his neck the moment he walked into the room.

Somewhat startled by her words, Obadiah looked into her eyes and saw that her words were heartfelt. He'd never been welcomed so sincerely before and he didn't know quite what to make of it.

"So, how did you two meet and get together?" Catherine asked. "I want to hear all about it."

Anna and Obadiah quickly glanced at one another, knowing they could not tell the entire truth, as they'd agreed not to tell anyone in England about baby Joseph and how he came to be conceived. It wasn't that Anna was ashamed of her first born, but she knew that few people would be understanding about what happened. Nor did Anna wish to talk about her estrangement with her father, as that was a topic best forgotten.

Clearing her throat, Anna squeezed Obadiah's hand in an affectionate gesture, then said, "Well, you see, I used to like to take a walk along the river every day, to get some exercise and a bit of fresh air. One day, I took my usual walk and found Obadiah sitting against a tree by the river, doing some fishing. I stopped to chat a bit before moving on and, before I knew it, he seemed to be there almost every day when I walked."

"Oh, my," the older woman said, enthralled. Smiling at Obadiah, she said, "It must have been love at first sight." Most women of Catherine Perkins' station would have remarked on the unseemliness of a single, unchaperoned woman speaking to a man she'd not been properly introduced to, but she knew that things were looser for army officers and their families serving on foreign soil. And Catherine wasn't a typical wife of a baronet, either, having married up from a minister's family.

"It was," he replied simply. "I knew right away that Anna was the woman for me, she was." He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek to underscore his point.

"How romantic!" Catherine declared. "It was rather similar to how my husband and I met as well. You see, my father was the vicar of the local village church and my future husband had come by to see my father about a matter. I was helping in the church office with some of my father's correspondence when he came in. Father wasn't there - he was out visiting a parishioner - so Archibald decided to wait for him. We had a very nice conversation before Father eventually returned, as I recall."

Anna had heard this story before as a child, so she turned to Obadiah and said, "They courted for about the same length of time as we did before getting married."

"And that answers what I was going to ask you next," the older woman said. "So on to the question after that! Did you have a nice wedding?"

"We eloped, we did," Obadiah told her, chuckling. "Anna's father didn't approve of us bein' together, see?"

"I do see," Catherine said, giving him a conspiratorial grin. "Happens in the best of families."

"That it does," Obadiah agreed, beginning to warm up to this woman. It seemed that Anna was right about her.

"So, how long have you been in the army?" Catherine asked.

"Since I was twelve," he told her, twitching again. "It had been my home 'til I met Anna, it was. Army's been good to me, but now that I've got a family of my own, it doesn't mean as much to me as it used to."

"That's terribly young," Catherine observed. "Most men I've known who've joined the army joined when there were about sixteen or so."

Obadiah looked briefly at Anna, who nodded at him to be honest about it. Catherine Perkins was someone who could be trusted with the truth.

"Had to join, I did," he told her. Pointing to his scarred neck, he said, "I got this when I was just twelve. See, the vicar had done something filthy that I can't even say in front of you ladies. He had it blamed on me and got me hanged, 'cos I'd seen what he'd done. He figured he had to get rid of me so's I wouldn't tell on him."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Catherine exclaimed, horrified. "How did you survive?"

"God must have been lookin' out for me, he was, 'cos there was a downpour while I was hangin' there struggling for breath," Obadiah explained, his face twitching at the memory. "Everyone ran for cover and my uncle came and cut me down while people was running off."

"You were lucky he was there," she noted.

"Anyways, no sooner had I come around than I got this twitch and I've had it ever since," he explained "I expects I'll be doing it to my dying day, 'cos I got no control over it. But it don't bother me none, 'cos at least I'm alive." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "My uncle told me to bugger off and not come back. So's I made my way south and joined the army as soon as I run upon a recruitin' party. Been there ever since."

"That vicar ought to have been hanged himself," Catherine declared vehemently. "What he did was totally reprehensible. He had no business being ordained. Father had known a few men in the church who were complete blackguards, who tried to hide their unspeakable deeds behind their clerical robes."

"Right you are," Obadiah said, chuckling. "Filthy bugger is probably rottin' in his grave by now, I'd say. At least, I hope he is."

"We'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this," Anna put in. "It's not something we'd want everyone to know."

"That goes without saying," her aunt agreed. "Your secret is safe with me." Catherine Perkins could plainly see that Obadiah Hakeswill came from the gutters of society, but she also saw the protective glances he gave his wife and how his rough voice softened when he spoke to her. Though uncultured and rough he might be, he also clearly cherished Anna and that made him all right in Catherine's book.

At that moment, the door from the kitchen opened and Bessie appeared, shepherding the children into the room.

"Oh, here are your little ones!" Catherine exclaimed. "What darling children!"

Indicating Barabbas, who had climbed onto the couch next to his father, Anna said, "This is Barabbas, our oldest, who is four. We usually call him Barry." Looking down at her daughter, who was now in her lap, she continued, "This is Caroline Bridget, who is two. She's named after both our mothers, but we call her Bridget." Smiling broadly, she added, "And there will be another little one in a few months."

"Oh what a handsome boy you are," the older woman said. "And such a pretty little girl. I'm your Aunt Catherine and I know we're all going to be such good friends." Patting Anna on the hand while looking at both of them, she added, "Congratulations on the new addition! I can't wait to see the new baby."

A short time later, Obadiah excused himself to take the children outside, so the two women could have a nice chat on their own. As he sat watching his two young children play, his mind wandered back to his childhood and he wondered if that bastard of a vicar was actually rotting in his grave. It was quite possible that the man could still be alive, as Obadiah reckoned he'd likely be in his seventies by now. He continued to brood as Barry and Bridget enjoyed the sunny day.


	23. A Rude Reception

After Obadiah had left to take the children outside, Anna turned to her aunt and said, "Why don't I have another pot of tea and more pastries brought out?"

"That would be lovely," her aunt replied. "We have so much to talk about, you and I."

"That we do," Anna agreed, ringing the bell that would bring Bessie into the room.

After the servant had acknowledged her orders and had returned to the kitchen, Catherine said, "When I first heard that you'd married a man from the ranks, I was concerned that you'd made a hasty and unfortunate decision, but after meeting the sergeant, I must say that I've changed my mind. It's quite obvious to me that he is hopelessly besotted with you and loves you dearly."

"How can you tell?" Anna asked, mystified. "You've only just met him."

"It's written all over his face every time he looks at you," her aunt replied. "It's in his eyes and it's in his voice. He has a rather rough voice, but it softens every time he addresses you. Plus, his mannerisms clearly show that he's very protective of you. Woe betide anyone who treats you badly in front of him! It's very endearing, actually."

Anna swallowed uncomfortably as her thoughts briefly returned to the death of Mrs Stokes. How unwittingly perceptive her aunt was! Returning her attention to Catherine Perkins, she merely said, "You're so right, Aunt Catherine; Obadiah treats me as if I'm a rare treasure."

"You _are_ a rare treasure, my dear, and your husband simply knows just how lucky he is to have you."

"And I'm fortunate to have him as well," she said softly. "I knew that he was something special by the way he always speaks so highly of his mother. He worships her memory and often speaks of how much he misses her to me."

"Well, you know, it's often been said that one can predict how a man will treat his wife by how he treated his mother," the older woman pointed out. "It would seem that the old saying has been proven true in this instance."

At that moment, Bessie returned with the second pot of tea and pastries. "Will there be anything else, Mrs Hakeswill?" the maid asked.

"Not at the moment," Anna replied. "You may go upstairs and start with the daily cleaning there."

After Bessie had left the room, Anna turned back to her aunt. "Obadiah needs to get a couple of new uniforms, as he's been assigned as a recruiting sergeant for the foreseeable future. Do you know of any good tailors in the area who could do the job properly? He wanted me to ask you that."

"I know several good tailors, but there's one in particular I recommend," Catherine said. "He'll be able to make fine looking uniforms, as well as any other sort of attire the sergeant might need."

"And he'll need everything, an entire wardrobe," Anna said. "Obadiah doesn't own any civilian clothing at all. He's never needed any until now. In fact, I don't think he's worn anything but a uniform since he was a boy."

"Oh, my, then I shall have much fun in dressing him up!' the older woman declared. "You don't mind, do you? I daresay you didn't see much in the way of current men's fashion when you were in India, so surrounded were you by soldiers and officers."

"I don't mind at all, but you'll probably need to create the illusion that Obadiah is choosing his own clothes," Anna said, laughing. "Let him give his input, but do try to guide him as much as you can."

"I've been doing it with Archibald for years, so I know I have quite a job in front of me," her aunt replied with a conspiratorial grin. But I believe you'll be satisfied with the results."

"I will need new clothing, as will the children," Anna continued. "I'm afraid my current wardrobe is no doubt out of date and is getting rather shabby. I've made all the children's clothing thus far, but they'll need things that are better made and more stylish. And, of course, we'll all need winter clothing. Because it's always hot and humid in India, we never needed any winter outfits, nor coats or cloaks."

"Oh, my, we're going to have so much fun!" Catherine enthused. "I have just the right seamstress for all of that and a milliner, too, for you'll need all new hats as well."

Anna grinned in delight. "I didn't know just how much I've missed living in England until just now. I've truly missed the shopping expeditions we used to have together when I was a girl."

"So have I," the older woman confided. "You've always been like the daughter I never had. And now, I'll be the grandmother your children would have never had otherwise. It will be so delightful to dress them up. And you'll need a layette for the new baby, too."

"That should be enough to keep us busy for awhile," Anna remarked.

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "You'll also need calling cards made up, as soon as possible. Word is already getting around that you've arrived back from India with a husband and children."

"Servants do talk," Anna said wryly. "We can always count on them to spread all the news."

"Quite true," Catherine agreed. "It's one of the costs of having good help." After taking a sip of tea, she continued, "Several of your girlhood chums still live in the area, with most of them being married with children, as you are."

"I'd be curious to see who they married," Anna ventured. "They all were hoping for titled men, as I recall."

"Let me see…" her aunt said as she thought of the four girls Anna had most friendly with as a teen. "Diana Bradford ended up with a baron - but a very _old _baron. He must be at least seventy-five, if a day. She doesn't have any children, as I doubt the baron is still capable of it. But he is as rich as Croesus, so I imagine that is of some comfort to her."

"Oh, my," Anna said, her tone carefully noncommittal. "I suppose she can marry a younger man when the inevitable occurs. I imagine she'll still be young enough to have children when that happens."

"Jane Whittington didn't get a title, but she married a rich shipbuilder's son," her aunt continued. "They have four children. Charlotte Richards married a navy captain from a good family, but has only one child thus far. Martha Tomlinson has never married and has remained with her widowed mother all these years. She's become somewhat devout and spends most of her time engaged in church activities."

"Life doesn't stand still for any of us, does it?" Anna mused.

"I thought you might like to see them all again," Catherine said. "I'm planning to have a dinner party to welcome you and your family back home and I thought I'd invite your old friends, plus a few other people you remember from your childhood."

"You needn't go to all that trouble, Aunt Catherine," Anna demurred. "I appreciate it, but it's not necessary. Really."

"It's not any trouble at all," the older woman say, smiling as she patted her niece's hand affectionately. "It will be my distinct honour and pleasure to introduce you and Obadiah to our local society." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I know you're going to have some trouble for what some would consider marrying beneath you. But I also know that if I publicly acknowledge you and Obadiah and give my stamp of approval, that it will help that acceptance along to some degree."

"I love you, Aunt Catherine," Anna said quietly. "You can't imagine just how much this means to me."

"Oh, I think I can," she said, chuckling. "I remember how hard it was when I first married Archibald, with all the snubs and haughty looks. And the women were far more condemning than the men were. For the most part, the men simply congratulated Archibald for finding a comely wife. Of course, it would likely have been much different had I been his first wife or if he'd not already had an heir."

"I was so young that I don't really remember," Anna said.

"Be glad that you don't," her aunt told her. "It cast a rather unpleasant pall over what should have been the happiest time of my life."

"How long did it last?" Anna asked, curious.

"Until the next scandal came along to divert their attention," the other woman smiled. "But there are still some who have never really accepted me, thinking I should have remained in the village among 'my own kind'."

Before Anna could remark, Obadiah came into the room from the kitchen, holding Bridget in his arms, with a whiny Barry following slowly in his wake.

"Got me some sleepy little 'uns here, I do," Obadiah announced, twitching. "They've worn themselves out and need to have them a nap."

"Well, I suppose I'll be off, then," Catherine Perkins said, rising to her feet. "Go and take care of your children and I'll contact you as soon as I've made appointments with the tailor and seamstress for you."

"I'm looking forward to it." Anna said, hugging her aunt."

Turning to Obadiah, Catherine said, "It was so nice to finally meet you, Obadiah, and I look forward to getting to know you better."

"Likewise," Obadiah replied gruffly. "Anyone who is good to my Anna is always welcome in my home, they are."

"As you are in my home," the older woman replied, as she reached the door.

The Hakeswills proceeded up the stairs after the older woman had left, with Bridget still fast asleep in her father's arms. Anna took Barry's hand firmly to guide him up the stairs after the little boy whined, "Don't wanna nap!"

Obadiah was having none of it. "You'll do as I say, boy," he called out sharply over his shoulder as he continued up the stairs. "I don't want to hear no more complainin' out of you."

As he reached the top and turned to the left toward the children's rooms, Obadiah found Bessie sweeping the hallway. "You needs to go back downstairs now and do your cleanin' there," Obadiah told her in much the same tone of voice he used with the privates under his command. "The little 'uns are having a nap now and don't need you disturbin' them, see?"

"Right away, Sergeant Hakeswill," the young woman said, moving quickly to get out of his way.

He entered Bridget's room a moment later, while Anna moved along to take Barry to his room. Easing the toddler girl down from his shoulder and into her bed carefully, he laid one rough hand on her forehead after he'd pulled the sheet over her. "Sleep good, little flower. Your Da loves you, he does."

As he left the little girl's room and quietly shut the door, he met Anna coming out of Barry's room.

"Did you have much trouble getting Barry to lay down?" he asked her. "Do I need to go in there and have a word with him, eh?"

"No," Anna laughed. "He fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Poor little fellow; he was fighting sleep, but just couldn't resist it in the end."

Giving his wife a wicked look, Obadiah said, "Be a good time for us to take a nap right now, too, it would."

"Oh, I know what you mean by 'taking a nap'," Anna replied. "We lay down, but there's no sleeping at all!"

"Right you are, missy," he said, chuckling, as he took her hand and led her to the bedroom. "Having two curious little 'uns, we has to do it whenever a good opportunity comes by."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A short time later, Catherine Perkins returned home to find her husband sitting at his desk in his office in the midst of writing a letter.

"Where have you been all morning, Catherine," Archibald Perkins asked as she entered the room. "It's nearly time for lunch."

"I was visiting with the Hakeswills, to see how they were settling in," she replied. "Don't you remember? I told you I was going to pay them a visit."

"I thought you were just going to leave your card and come right back," he explained.

"I was, but Anna invited me in for tea," Catherine told him. "I did want to see her, so I could hardly refuse."

"Did you see her guttersnipe of a husband?" her husband demanded. "I was utterly aghast when I saw him when they first arrived. When she'd written and told me she'd married a man from the ranks, I naturally assumed it was a gentleman of the middling sort who'd fallen on bad times. But it was obvious from first glance that Hakeswill is nothing of the sort. If his appearance hadn't given it away, it would have been obvious that he comes from the lowest dregs of society from the moment he opened his mouth. Why, the man even has an uncontrollable _twitch_!"

"I was rather concerned when I first saw him, myself," Catherine admitted. "You're right that he doesn't come from a respectable background and that his appearance and speech patterns are quite rough." After stopping to accept a cup of tea from a servant who'd just brought a pot to the room, she continued "But after a few moments, it became apparent to me that they are very much in love and that he worships the ground she walks on. The children were adorable and well-behaved, as well."

"Be that as it may, I cannot understand how she ended up marrying such a man," he harrumphed. "She could have done so much better, even if she is rather plain."

"Love is a strange thing," his wife gently reminded him. "It is rarely a logical matter. The heart knows what it wants and no amount of reason can make it see differently." Putting a gentle hand on his arm, she added, "It can even make a baronet fall in love with a simple vicar's daughter."

"Touché," he grudgingly conceded. "But I still cannot see how Horace allowed the marriage to happen. My guess is that Hakeswill compromised her virtue and they had to get married."

"You're right that Horace didn't approve of him, as you would imagine," Catherine reported. "But they ran off and eloped." Giving him a pointed look, she said, "Doesn't that remind you of someone you know? Don't you remember our little trip to Gretna Green, dear?"

Laughing, he said, "If you'd been a man, Catherine, I daresay you would have made an excellent barrister. It is usually useless to debate anything with you."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said, leaning over to kiss her husband's cheek. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I told Anna that I'm planning to have a dinner party to celebrate her arrival home and to introduce her husband to some friends and acquaintances."

"Tell me you didn't!" Archibald Perkins exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "What a debacle that is sure to be. I've no doubt that the guttersnipe has no earthly clue on how to behave in the company of his betters and will no doubt end up publicly humiliating Anna. He wouldn't even need to act overly boorish, either. The minute he opens his mouth and twitches, he'll have done it."

"Show a bit of Christian charity, my dear," Catherine gently admonished him. "He can't help where he came from any more than he can control his unfortunate twitch. What should matter most is how he treats Anna and their children."

"Don't be so naïve, Catherine," he shot back. "Those harridans that Anna kept company with as a girl will be merciless with her and the men will assume that Hakeswill married her for her money."

"You are probably correct, unfortunately," his wife conceded, sighing. "But perhaps someone will surprise us and be gracious. In any instance, I think it's best if Anna finds out, sooner rather than later, who her true friends are. And I thought that a dinner party would be the easiest way to go about it."

"If you say so, my dear," Archibald said, heaving a sigh. He knew better than to protest his wife's plans any further. When she got an idea into her head, she was like a force of nature. "When do you plan to have the party?"

"In two weeks," she told him. "That should be enough time for Anna to update her wardrobe and to have some suitable civilian clothing made for her husband. He'll also be having new uniforms made, as Anna informed me that he'll be functioning as a recruitment sergeant for the foreseeable future."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_Two weeks later_

"You look so handsome, Obadiah," Anna said as she helped him tie his new snowy white cravat. She was gratified to see that his hanging scar, though not completely hidden, was less obvious with the cravat on. Over a fine white silk shirt, he wore a black satin waistcoat and a forest green velvet coat in the current style - short in the front, with tails in the back - along with black trousers and black shoes.

Looking into the full length mirror in their bedroom, he surveyed himself carefully. "I look so different in these clothes, like a real gentleman, I do. I barely recognize myself."

Turning to look at Anna, he murmured, "But I'm hardly fit to escort a beautiful lady such as yourself."

Anna was wearing a sea-green taffeta gown with a chiffon overskirt in the latest high-waisted style. Bessie had styled her hair, which, hung in ringlets on either side of her face.

Blushing crimson, she said, "Why don't we go downstairs now. I daresay the carriage will be arriving soon to take us to Aunt Catherine's."

As the couple entered the Perkins mansion a short time later, they noticed that most of the guests had already arrived. The butler, Cameron, met them at the door and escorted them to the drawing room, where other guests were engaged in lively conversation.

"Wait for Cameron to announce us before stepping into the room," Anna whispered to Obadiah as they followed the butler down the hallway.

"All right, missy," he replied, his face twitching. He'd not wanted to come to this gathering, but was doing so for Anna's sake.

They hung back slightly as Cameron entered the room and announced, "Sergeant and Mrs Obadiah Hakeswill!"

As Obadiah and Anna stepped forward and paused, every head turned and all conversation died away to utter silence. They stood there awkwardly for a long moment, as no one came forward to greet them. Obadiah twitched nervously under the obviously scornful scrutiny.

Finally, Catherine Perkins broke the ice and stepped forward, smiling broadly. "Obadiah and Anna, it's so wonderful to see you!"

"Thank you for having us, Aunt Catherine," Anna said, with a frozen, nervous smile."

"It is my pleasure," the older woman said. "Truly."

As soon as the hostess had stepped forward to greet her guests of honour, conversation resumed to its previous level. Some people continued to stare openly, while others took stealthy glances as the couple began to circulate around the room.

"Anna, you remember Jane Whittington, don't you?" Catherine said as they approached a haughty looking blond nearby. "She's Mrs Richard Balfour now."

"Of course," Anna said with a tentative smile. "Aunt Catherine tells me that you're married and have four children now." Taking Obadiah's hand, she continued, "I'd like to introduce you to my husband, Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill."

"Him? He's your husband?" the other woman replied, nearly braying with laughter. "Oh, how perfectly droll! You always did have a well developed sense of humour, Anna."

The woman's laughter died in her throat a moment later when she looked at Obadiah Hakeswill and felt almost assaulted by the sheer malevolence radiating from his eyes.

Feeling utterly humiliated, Anna said, "I'm feeling a bit faint; I need some air. If you'll please excuse me."

Looking over his shoulder one more time to glare balefully at Jane Balfour, he took his wife's hand and muttered, "I could use some air, myself. Stinks in here, it does."

As the couple crossed the large room, they could hear snatches of conversation from the other guests.

"…_I heard my cook talking about him with the butler and I came just to see if he could possibly be as bad as she described. It seems the reality is much worse than her description…"_

"…_My guess is that he compromised her virtue and they had to get married…"_

"…_I'm surprised that Horace Perkins didn't have him hanged….Looks like he was hanged already, but it didn't take…"_

"…_no doubt married her for her money…"_

"…_as plain as she is, she probably couldn't do any better than that…"_

"…_the man looks like a convict..."_

"…_twitchy bastard…"_

"Vicious lot, they are," Obadiah said as they closed the door behind them as they stepped out on the terrace. "I thought they were your friends, Anna."

"They were my _acquaintances_," she corrected him. "There is a difference." Sighing loudly, she added, "I'd hoped that they might have matured since I left for India, but apparently not. I'm sorry they were so rude to you."

"Didn't bother me none," he said, shrugging. "I've been treated that way all my life by rich folks who think they're better 'n me. It ain't nothin' new."

Squeezing his hand, she murmured, "But I am truly sorry they wouldn't give you a chance. Not only did they insult you and me, they insulted my aunt, because she is the hostess. They should have been polite, no matter what they thought, out of respect for Aunt Catherine, at the very least."

Leaning over, Obadiah took Anna into his arms and kissed her tenderly on the forehead, "I hates to see you all upset, missy. All them heifers put together ain't worth one of you. I'm the luckiest man here and all those posh bastards are just jealous, mark my words."

"And I'm the luckiest woman," she said, leaning into the comfort of his embrace.

"Why don't we just go on home," he said. "There ain't no point in staying and havin' your meal ruined by that lot."

"I'd love to, but I don't want to disappoint Aunt Catherine," she demurred.

"I don't think she'd mind," he said. "Just tell her you don't feel so well and that you needs to go home and lay down. You bein' with child and all makes it a good excuse, see?"

"You're right," she said firmly. "Let's go home to our children, Obadiah."


	24. A Delivery

Several days after the disastrous dinner party, a knock sounded at the door while the Hakeswills were eating lunch.

"Go see who it is, Bessie," Anna instructed the servant. "Then return to tell us who it is." Turning to Obadiah, she asked, "I wonder who it could be at this hour? Aunt Catherine wouldn't show up unannounced during meal times."

"We'll know, soon enough," Obadiah said indifferently, taking a bite of his food.

A moment later, Bessie opened the door to find a young soldier standing on the doorstep, looking around himself in confusion.

"Can I help you?" the young maid said, raising an eyebrow quizzically at the soldier's apparent confusion. She looked beyond him to see two horses tied to a tree in the front yard.

"I'm not sure," he said hesitantly. "This is the address I was given, but I can't imagine that Sergeant Hakeswill could live in a place this grand."

"You're at the right place," Bessie assured him, rolling her eyes. She understood the Corporal's confusion, as she'd not quite figured out how someone like Obadiah Hakeswill had ended up being her employer. "Come in and wait right here while I see if the sergeant is at home."

"Tell him that Corporal Sanderson is here to see him, miss," he said removing his shako as he stepped inside and waited by the front door.

Re-entering the breakfast nook a moment later, Bessie stood and waited to be recognized.

"Who was it, Bessie," Anna asked, looking up as soon as the young woman had entered.

"It's a Corporal Sanderson here to see Sergeant Hakeswill," the maid explained.

"Was he alone?" Obadiah demanded.

"Yes, sir," she affirmed. "Just him, and two horses tied to a tree."

"Put him in my office to wait," Obadiah told her, twitching. "Tell him I'll sees him once I finish eatin' here."

"Yes, sir," Bessie said, backing out of the room. "Right away."

"Nice of the army to send my horse along to me, it was," Obadiah remarked. "I wasn't lookin' forward to havin' to take the stage back to start my recruitin' duties."

"It's also nice that they're not expecting you to ride a donkey, either," Anna remarked dryly. "I can't imagine you'd attract many recruits that way."

"Right you are, missy," he said, chuckling, as he regarded his wife with an affectionate grin. "No, I needed me a new horse to go along with my nice new uniforms in order to attract new recruits, see?"

"Want to see the horses, I do!" Barry announced loudly.

"Me too!" Bridget piped up.

"Both of you be quiet and finish eatin'," Obadiah told them gruffly. "If you both keeps your mouths shut for the rest of the meal, I'll takes you both out to see the horse later."

Both children immediately lapsed into silence, returning their full attention to their plates, as they did want to get to see the new horse.

About twenty minutes later, Hakeswill pushed back from the table and burped loudly, fully sated from his meal. Turning to Anna, he said, "I suppose I should see what that bugger Sanderson wants. Shouldn't be too long, I won't."

As Bessie came in to remove the plates, he ordered, "Bring me a brandy in my office."

"Yes, sir," she acknowledged crisply.

"Why don't you offer your guest something to drink as well," Anna gently prompted him in a low voice, so as not to embarrass him in front of Bessie.

"Bring a beer for the corporal, too," Hakeswill amended to Bessie.

"Right away, sir," she nodded as she efficiently gathered up the rest of the plates.

Turning back to Anna, he said, "I wants you to keep the children out of the way and busy while I'm meetin' with the corporal. More businesslike that way, it is."

"Of course, Obadiah," she said. "I'll take them out back for a romp, I'm thinking."

A short time later, Sergeant Hakeswill opened the door to his office to find Corporal Sanderson standing nervously by the window, watching the horses that were still tethered to the tree. The corporal immediately snapped to attention and saluted as soon as he saw his superior enter the room. He was surprised to see the sergeant in a well-made civilian suit and wondered to himself again about just how Hakeswill had acquired that much money for himself. He knew the man plundered everything that wasn't nailed down, but he'd had no idea that Obadiah Hakeswill had done this well for himself.

"At ease, lad," Hakeswill said gruffly. Pointing to a chair, he said, "Sit down, so's I don't have to crane my head lookin' up at you."

After both men had seated themselves, with Obadiah sitting behind his desk, he said, "State your business, Sanderson."

Before the corporal could reply, Bessie entered the room to serve them drinks, then quietly slipped out of the room just as quickly.

"I'm bringing you a horse, plus your orders from Captain Morris," Sanderson said, leaning forward to hand Hakeswill the written orders.

Hakeswill briefly read the orders to see who'd be riding with him in the recruitment party: Lt. Hanley, Drummer Newkirk, and Sergeant Norris. He was satisfied with the roster, as it contained all the men he'd hand picked and previously requested from Captain Morris. Lt Hanley, while nominally in charge of the recruitment party, hadn't been in the army long and was unsure of himself. He was tractable and readily followed Hakeswill's lead, grateful for the sergeant's guidance and years of experience. Plus, he was a drunkard. Newkirk was a likable Cockney lad of sixteen, also eager to please. He would also be handy when they found opportunities to plunder, as he'd been a pickpocket who'd joined the army as an alternative to being sent to Australia. And Hakeswill had been in rank much longer than had Norris, so he had clear seniority. Norris had also been easier to work with since their wives had become friends, as well. All in all, Obadiah was well pleased, knowing that the recruiting party would be under his secure control.

Looking up from the written orders at the nervous corporal, he demanded, "Where do they want me to meet them? I knows I have to leave here in a couple of days."

"They'll be coming here to meet you," the corporal told him.

Obadiah looked down at the paper again to read further and saw that the corporal had told the truth. The first stop for the recruitment party would be in London, so it was easier for the group to pick up Hakeswill on the way, rather than him have to ride miles in the wrong direction just to have to turn around again.

'Makes sense," he said, with a slight twitch. "Gives me a few extra days at home with my family, it does." Rising to his feet, he muttered, "Let's get a look at my new horse."

The two men headed out the front door to find the two horses patiently waiting by the tree, chewing grass.

"This one's yours, Sergeant," Sanderson said, untying a brown gelding with a white marking on its head. "Captain Morris said to tell you that he picked it himself." After a pause, he added, "His name is Trouble, sir."

Hakeswill cackled briefly, knowing that the captain had no doubt given the horse this name because he thought Obadiah himself was trouble. And Morris knew only too well just how much trouble Obadiah Hakeswill could cause if he got a mind to do so.

Taking the reins from the corporal, he looked the animal over carefully and noted with satisfaction that the horse appeared to be healthy. Running his hand over the leather of the saddle, he muttered, "Saddle feels comfortable. I think it will suit my bony arse, it should."

"I don't know how them cavalry men ride all the time, I surely don't, Sarge," Sanderson admitted.

"Proper soldiers march into battle on their own two feet, they do, just as God wanted it," Hakeswill agreed. "But I'll be glad to have this nag to ride all around England on. Makes recruitin' quicker and easier, it does, eh?"

Pointing to saddlebags on both horses, Sanderson told the sergeant, "I brought some forage for your horse to get him started until the rest of the recruiting party gets here."

"Bring it around back, then, and put it in the stable," Hakeswill ordered. "Walk your horse slowly around back, 'cos my little 'uns are back there. They'll be wantin' to see the horses, so's you needs to be careful."

"Yes, sir," the young man responded. It was difficult for the corporal to imagine Obadiah Hakeswill with a wife, let alone children..

"Once you do that, you needs to bugger off and report back to Captain Morris and let him know I've acknowledged his orders," he told the soldier brusquely.

As the two soldiers entered the back yard with the horses tightly under control, Obadiah called out to Anna, "Watch the little 'uns and makes sure they don't get under the horses' hooves."

Anna, who had been sitting in a chair on the terrace as she watched her two children frolic in the grass, called the children to her as she rose from her seat.

"Barry! Bridget! Stay close to me until your father tells you it's all right to come closer," she said sharply as she grabbed each child's hand.

"Want to see the horses, I do!" Barry exclaimed, trying to twist out of his mother's grip.

Bridget was a little afraid of the big horses, and was content to remain with her mother.

"You mind your mother, boy," Obadiah growled as he watched Sanderson tie his own horse to another tree. "You'll get to see this horse soon enough. You just needs to wait for a few minutes, see?"

"Yes, Da," Barry said, pouting as he kicked a clod of dirt.

Fortunately, it did not take Corporal Sanderson long to unload the forage and store it in the stable. As soon as he was finished, he mounted up and rode away with no further encouragement, as he had no desire to spend any more time than absolutely necessary with Obadiah Hakeswill.

"That's a nice looking horse, Obadiah," Anna said, once they were alone again. "He looks strong and healthy."

"I'm surprised, I am, that they didn't give me a broken-down old nag," he said. "I suppose they wants me to look as good as possible while recruitin'. Them stupid buggers will see me on a good horse and think they'll get one too if they enlist. They won't know until it's too late that not even a sergeant is entitled to a horse in the field."

"That seems dishonest," Anna said, frowning.

"Got to be!" Obadiah said, twitching. "We'd never make our recruitin' quotas otherwise. I'd never have signed any recruits if I'd have told them about slogging through the mud, getting shot at, eating nasty food and the like. Got to make the army look as good as possible, see? 'Course, some of them filthy sods didn't need no persuading, 'cos the army's better than anything they ever had at home, like it was for me. It's not the worst life a man could have."

Swinging up into the saddle, he rode slowly around the yard a few times to get a feel for the horse. Once he reached the end of the property, he urged the horse into a canter and rode out into a nearby field to put the animal through its paces.

Returning a few minutes later, Obadiah dismounted, then told Anna, "Bring Barry over here and I'll give him a ride."

"Are you sure it's safe?" Anna said dubiously.

"Sure I'm sure!" Obadiah said, almost indignantly. "I'll make sure the horse don't do no more than walk." Bending over to pick up his firstborn, he told the little boy, "Hang on tight now, while I gets us on to the horse."

As he remounted, the horse shifted a bit underneath them. "Easy, now, easy!" After the animal was still once again, he held Barry around the waist seated in front of him on the saddle. "His name is Trouble, it is."

"Trouble?" Barry chuckled. "Is he a lot of trouble?"

"Probably is," Obadiah cackled. "Just like you, he is."

Father and son took a slow ride through the nearby field, then Obadiah brought the horse to a stop back in the yard. "Bridget's turn, now."

After he'd put Barry back on the ground and reached to pick up his little girl, she turned away and whined, "Don't want to!"

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Obadiah reassured the little girl. "Just thought you'd want to, 'cos Barry did."

"It was fun, Bridget!" Barry put in eagerly. "You should let Da give you a ride."

"Don't waaaaaaant to!" she repeated loudly, then began to whimper.

"I'm sorry, Obadiah," Anna said helplessly. "Bridget has been feeling cross ever since we've been outside."

"Needs a nap, she does," he said flatly. "You needs to take her inside and put her down for a nap, while I get this horse settled in the stable."

"His name is Trouble, Mama!" Barry broke in, chuckling.

"I certainly hope he doesn't live up to his name," Anna said, smiling down at her son. Turning back to Bridget who'd plopped herself down in the grass to have a good cry, she said "Let's go inside, Bridget, and have a nap. Maybe Kitty will come inside, too, and nap with you." The Hakeswills had adopted a grey striped cat that had been hanging around the house ever since they moved in.

"I'll be in as soon as I get the horse took care of," Obadiah told her. "I'll keep Barry with me, so's he can watch and learn something, but then he'll come in for a nap, too, 'cos I needs me a bit of a scratchin' just about now. I'll be back on duty in couple of days, so's we needs to take every opportunity together while I'm still here."

"I'll be waiting for you," Anna said, giving him a seductive smile.

Quite some time later, as Obadiah and Anna snuggled in bed together, Anna said, "How long do you think you'll be gone before I'll see you again?"

"Probably no more 'n two weeks before I can come home for a few days," he estimated. "Our first stop is in London and we'll be goin' to mainly pubs and taverns lookin' for men. We'll take a bit of a break before movin' on to the next place, so's I'll be able to come home and spend some time with you and the little 'uns then."

"Oh, it's going to be so strange not having you with me all the time," Anna said. Running a finger down the side of his face, over his prominent cheekbones, she murmured, "I'll especially miss you here in bed with me at night."

In response, Obadiah reached for her again and no more words were spoken for quite some time. Afterwards, as he held her in his arms, he rumbled, "I'll be givin' you more like this in the next few days, so's you have good memories to hold you 'til I can get back home again."

Before Anna could respond, Bridget began to wail from her bedroom.

"Oh, my, I'd better see what's wrong with her," Anna said, frowning, as she threw her shift back on and put her dressing gown over that. "She's been out of sorts all day."

Anna found Bridget fretful and whiny when she entered the room, with the blanket and sheet on the floor. The little girl's face was flushed and her skin was hot when Anna touched her.

"Obadiah!" Anna called out, as her husband appeared in the doorway, clad only in his trousers. "Bridget's got a fever! She's burning up!"

"No wonder she didn't want to ride the horse," he mumbled, distressed to see his little girl in obvious discomfort.

"Go downstairs and find Bessie and tell her to bring a bucket of water and some cool cloths," Anna ordered.

Obadiah did as she requested without a word, soon reappearing with the young maid in tow.

"Thank you, Bessie," Anna said as she began to bathe her daughter's forehead with a cool wet cloth."

"I'm goin' to go get your aunt and see if she can have the doctor sent," Obadiah said, twitching. "Good thing I got the horse now, so's I can be quick about it."

"That's a good idea," Anna said. "I don't think there's anything seriously wrong with her, but it's always best to know for sure."

"I'll be goin' then," he said, allowing a last long glance at his little girl. "Quicker I go, the quicker I can get a doctor here."

"Hurry back," Anna said fervently, as she wiped her daughter's brow again.

Obadiah fumbled somewhat when saddling the horse back up, as this was something he'd not done much over the years. Finally, he got the horse sorted and took off at a gallop up the lane to the Perkins' home.

He arrived in record time, then hurried quickly up the front walk after tying the horse to a tree. After ringing the bell, he waited impatiently for what seemed to be an interminable time, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Open the bleedin' door, already!" he muttered to himself as he waited.

A moment later, the door finally opened to reveal the butler, Cameron.

"Sergeant…Hakeswill, isn't it?" the butler said haughtily, looked at Obadiah as if he was something the cat had dragged in.

"I needs to see Lady Perkins right away," he said, his tone at once both commanding and desperate. "I have me a sick little 'un and my wife says Lady Perkins would know of a doctor we could send for."

"Come in, then," Cameron said stiffly, sighing as he led Hakeswill to a small room near the front door, then disappeared to go find Lady Perkins.

Within moments, Catherine Perkins breezed into the room, coming right over to Obadiah. Taking his hand in concern, she said, "Cameron said that one of your children is sick and that you need a doctor sent?"

"It's Bridget," he said, twitching. "She's got a bad fever. Burning up, she is. Anna don't think it's nothing serious, but I wants a doctor to come look at her to make sure. The army done brought me a horse, so I rode straight up here, 'cos I knew you'd know of a doctor."

"Good thinking," Catherine said. Turning to Cameron who waited in the doorway, she said, "Go send Jenkins to summon Doctor Stephens to the Gatekeeper's Lodge. I will be returning with Sergeant Hakeswill, so please let my husband know where I am. I may be staying overnight, so have Sally pack me an overnight case and have it sent down."

"Very good, Lady Perkins," Cameron said. "Shall I have the carriage brought around?"

"No, I don't have time for that," Catherine said, "I will ride back with Sergeant Hakeswill on his horse."

The butler raised an eyebrow at this unseemly notion, but did not comment.

"Well!" Catherine said to Obadiah, heading toward the front door. "Shall we go, then ?"

"The sooner the better," he said fervently as they stepped outside. "Right this way."

Obadiah helped Catherine to mount, then swung up into the saddle behind her. Putting his hands around her waist, he headed back home as quickly as he could.

He tied the horse to the tree in the front yard once they arrived, then followed close behind Catherine as they headed upstairs to Bridget's room.

"Aunt Catherine!" Anna said as she saw her aunt in the doorway.

"I came as soon as Obadiah told me what was wrong," the older woman said. "I've sent one of my servants for Dr. Stephens, who should be here shortly."

"Oh, thank you," Anna said wearily. "Bridget's asleep now, but she still has a fever."

"Why don't you let me sit down with her for awhile," Catherine said gently. "You're with child and don't need to risk getting sick yourself."

"Just for awhile," Anna murmured.

"Come on, missy," Obadiah said gently. "Your aunt and Bessie can handle it for awhile. Let's us go and wait for the doctor."

"All right, Obadiah," she said, allowing him to lead her out of the room.

The doctor arrived about twenty minutes later. Obadiah had been waiting at the window, so he hurried to open the door before the man could even knock.

"Right this way, Doc," Obadiah said, guiding him to the stairs. "I got me a sick little girl up there that needs your help."

A moment later, Dr Stephens entered Bridget's bedroom to find Catherine Perkins, still at the little girl's bedside.

Looking up, the older woman said, "Dr Stephens, so good of you to come so promptly. This is my great-niece, Bridget Hakeswill. She's had a high fever since earlier this afternoon."

"Let me have a look at her," the doctor said, as Catherine gave up her chair to let him examine Bridget.

After a few minutes of poking and prodding, the doctor turned to Catherine and the Hakeswills, who were all standing in the doorway. "I'm happy to say that Bridget is in no danger and should be back to her old self within a few days. Just keep doing what you've been doing for her and make sure she gets plenty of fluids."

"Thank God," Anna said, as Obadiah patted her arm. "I can't thank you enough, Doctor."

Looking squarely at Anna, he said, "I must caution you to keep your distance until your daughter is well, considering that you are with child."

"Yes, doctor," Anna said dutifully.

"I'll makes sure she does as you say," Obadiah put in.

"No need to worry," Catherine said. "I'll be staying until Bridget is better, with a servant helping me."

"Excellent!" the doctor said. "I'll come by in a few days to check on her, but feel free to call on me if you need me before then."

"We'll do it," Obadiah said, shaking the man's hand. "Why don't I see you out."

Returning a few minutes later, Obadiah went to sit by Catherine and quietly said, "Anna and me really appreciates you stayin' with us and takin' care of our Bridget. It means a lot, it does."

"You're family," she said simply, looking into his eyes as she patted him on the hand. "I would do anything for those I consider to be family." She then leaned over and gave a nonplussed Obadiah Hakeswill a quick peck on the cheek, before turning back to focus her attention on Bridget.


	25. The Day Before

Over the next few days, Bridget Hakeswill slowly regained her health. Catherine Perkins had been true to her word and had stayed with the Hakeswills the entire time Bridget was sick, spending many hours by her bedside.

Barry had remained well, fortunately, as his mother kept him busy elsewhere during the day, away from his sister.

Late one night, as Obadiah came out of his bedroom to go outside to use the outhouse, he passed by Bridget's room to find Catherine still sitting up with her, though the little girl was asleep. He stood quietly in the doorway for a long moment, just watching them. Closing his eyes for a moment, he mind travelled back to his own childhood as he remembered his own mother sitting by his bedside when he was sick, speaking softly to him. And he couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like had his mother had lived to see her grandchildren. A moment later, he cuffed back the moisture that had suddenly welled up in his eyes.

"Obadiah?" Catherine suddenly became aware of him standing in the doorway. "I didn't realize you were there. Is everything all right?"

"I was just on my way out to the jakes when I saw you was still up with Bridget," he said quietly, twitching. "Looking at you sitting up with her so late reminded me of when I was a little 'un and my mother would sit up with me when I was sick. Was just missing her, is all."

"Your mother must have been quite a special woman for you to remember so fondly after all these years," Catherine observed. "I would have liked to have known her."

"Oh, she was," he agreed fervently, twitching again. "A regular saint, she was, lookin' after me like she did. I never thought no one would ever love me as much as she did, 'til I met Anna."

"I'm sure your mother is looking over you from heaven, even now," Catherine said gently. "I like to think so, at least."

"I knows she does," he agreed, nodding. "I've escaped death so many times that someone has to be lookin' after me still." After a pause, he said, "Why don't you go to bed. Bridget is sleeping, she is, and she don't have a fever no more."

"I think I will," the older woman said. "After a little while. I just want to sit with her awhile longer. I never had any children of my own, you see, so I especially enjoy helping you and Anna take care of yours."

"I was a bit worried about leavin' Anna alone here with the little 'uns to fend for herself while I'm away on recruitin' duty," he told her, "But I feels better about it now, knowin' you'll be here to look out for them."

"You can put your mind at ease and rest assured that you family will be well looked after when you are away," she told him. "I will see to it personally."

"Anna and me - we're lucky to have you," Obadiah said awkwardly, still amazed at the depths of Catherine Perkins' goodwill." After a pause, he said, "I'll be sayin' goodnight, then. Got to go take care of my business, I do, then I'm going back to bed."

"I'll see you in the morning," she said softly. "Good night."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Obadiah Hakeswill spent part of the next day packing his haversack and getting other items together that he'd need while out recruiting. He expected the recruiting party to arrive either later that same day or the next, so he wanted to be ready when they arrived. During his time in the army, Obadiah had quickly learned that it always paid to be well-prepared.

Anna Hakeswill had spent the day alternating between helping her husband organize his things and checking on their daughter, who was now becoming impatient with staying in bed.

Barry had also been underfoot, watching every move his father made. "I wants to go with you, Da!" Barry said as he watched Obadiah fill his haversack."

Obadiah and Anna had told the children of his impending return to duty not long before Bridget had come down with the fever, and the little boy had assumed they'd all being going together.

"Don't you remember what your mother and I done told you?" Obadiah said, twitching. "You're going to stay here with your mother and Bridget in our nice new house, you are."

"I'm a big boy now," Barry insisted earnestly. "I wants to be a soldier, just like you, Da."

Hakeswill got a lump in his throat at knowing that his boy wanted to be just like him. Squatting down, so that he'd be at eye level with his son, he said gently, "You can be a soldier for me right here, protectin' and lookin' after your mother and sister, see? Lookin' after them and the servants is just as important as me goin' 'round to find men to join the army, it is. More important, even."

"Truly, Da?" the boy said in wonderment.

"You'll be takin' my place, you will," Obadiah assured him. "And I expects you to do a good job while I'm gone, eh?"

"I will, Da," Barry assured him. "But I wish you'd stay home with us and not go away."

"Have to, boy," his father told him heavily. "It's my duty. But don't you worry none. I'm stayin' right here in England and I'll be able to come home to visit real often."

"All right, Da," the little boy said agreeably.

"Now, off with you, then," Obadiah said gruffly. "I still got packin' to do here. Go pester your mother for awhile."

Later that afternoon, the three adults sat relaxing in the front sitting room over brandy. It was time for Catherine to return home to her husband and they were waiting for the carriage to come that would take the older woman back to her home.

They'd brought Bridget downstairs for a short while, as she was nearly well, but Bessie had taken both children back upstairs to get in a nap before dinner. The doctor had been by earlier that morning and had said it was all right for the little girl to be getting up for short periods each day until she was completely well.

Obadiah was all packed and ready to go back on duty, so it was just a matter of waiting for the rest of the recruitment party to arrive. All was well in his world, as he leaned back in the comfortable upholstered chair watching the two women he cared most about conversing quietly,

As the women continued to chat in low tones, Obadiah felt his eyes growing heavier. After a few minutes in this comfortable chair, he began to doze and was soon snoring softly.

"Will you look at that!" Anna said, chuckling quietly. "It's you and me and Bessie staying up 'til all hours of the night taking care of Bridget and he's the one who falls asleep sitting up in a chair."

"A woman's work is never done," Catherine observed dryly. "But maybe he's easily able to fall asleep now because he knows Bridget is out of danger."

"You're probably right," the younger woman agreed, still smiling indulgently at her snoring husband.

Before Catherine could make a response, the women heard the sound of horse hooves getting closer. Moving to look out the window, Catherine said, "It looks like Obadiah's recruiting party has arrived."

Jostling her husband on the shoulder, Anna said, "Obadiah! Wake up! The recruiting party is here!'

"Hmm?" he mumbled, twitching. "I'm getting up." Staggering to his feet, he went to the front door just as the three men were dismounting.

"I sees you found me with no troubles," Hakeswill said to them. "Bring your horses around back. I don't have stable space for any more than my own horse, but there's a nice shady spot to tie them."

"Don't you think we should be pushing on to London, Sergeant?" Lt. Hanley suggested hesitantly.

"No I don't," Hakeswill replied, his tone of voice almost cross. "Sir." After a pause, he added, "It's too late in the day for that. We'd have to stop again for the night, we would, long before reaching London. And it's better for the horses to get them a good rest, so's we can start fresh in the morning. Sir."

"I suppose you're right, Sergeant Hakeswill," Hanley said. "I hadn't thought of that."

Obadiah did not speak, but gave the young man a sour look that obviously said he didn't believe that the young Lieutenant did much thinking at all about anything.

As the men followed him around back, they exchanged glances with one another, all silently wondering at Hakeswill's surprisingly nice house and fine clothing. But it was obvious to all of them that, despite the posh new home and clothing, that this was still the same old Hakeswill.

Once the men were done with securing the horses for the night, Hakeswill led them back around the house to go inside. As they reached the front yard, Catherine Perkins was being helped into the carriage that had just arrived to take her home.

Motioning to the men to wait, Obadiah went over to the open carriage.

"I won't be getting the chance to see you again before I leave to go back on duty," he said as he stood beside the carriage. "I just wanted to tell you again how much it meant for you to help me and Anna by lookin' after Bridget."

"It was my pleasure," Catherine said. "Bridget is an adorable child. And rest assured that I will visit Anna every day while you are gone or arrange to have her and the children brought to my home. They will be well looked after and you needn't worry."

"As long as you're around, I won't," he replied, twitching.

"Have a safe trip, then, and I'll see you when you return," she said briskly. "Take care of yourself."

"I always do," he said, cackling, as she gestured to the carriage driver to proceed.

Turning back to the men waiting for him, he said briefly, "My wife's aunt - Lady Perkins." After pausing to notice that the men seemed suitably impressed, he continued, "Let's go in. Nearly suppertime, it is, and I'm sure you buggers are likely hungry."

Anna Hakeswill met the group as they came in the door. She'd already informed the cook that there would be three more for dinner and had advised Bessie to clean the spare bedroom for a new guest and to organize linen for the two downstairs sofas as well.

"This is my wife Anna," he told the group brusquely, as they removed their headgear upon entering the home. Turning to his wife, he introduced the men. "This here's Lt. Hanley,. Norris you already know. And the boy is Newkirk."

"Pleased to meet you," she said politely. "And good to see you again, Sergeant Norris. Dinner is almost ready, so if you'll follow me to the dining room now."

Hanley realized that Hakeswill had managed to marry above himself as he trailed behind his hostess along with the others. He briefly wondered how the scrawny and uncultured sergeant accomplished that feat. But he was more interested in whether Hakeswill's wife was sufficiently cultured to serve some decent wine with their meal. Hanley was approaching near sobriety after a long day in the saddle; something he hoped to remedy very shortly. He was prepared for any eventuality, however, as he was carrying a flask of whiskey, which he planned to drink later that evening.

As young Peter Newkirk was about to follow the others, Hakeswill reached out a hand to hold him back.

"Word to the wise, boy," Obadiah growled in a low voice. "If you steals anything from my home, I'll flog you to death myself, make no bones. You'll have plenty of chances later on to do some plundering once we gets to London. I purposely asked for you to be in the recruitin' party 'cos I knows you're a cutthroat and a thief and good at it, too. You're not as good as me, though. But so long as you does what I say and don't steal from me, I'll let you keep a cut of everything we steal, 'cos I takes proper care of those who does what I tells them, see?"

"Yes, sir," the boy said, gulping. He was well aware of Hakewill's reputation and knew he meant what he said.

"Good lad," he replied. "Let's eat."

A few minutes later, after the food had been served and everyone had settled in to eat, Anna turned to Sergeant Norris with a smile and asked, "I've missed seeing Carrie since we've returned to England. How are she and the children getting along? Well, I hope."

"She's doing better now," Norris told her quietly, his expression forlorn. "We were to have another baby, but she lost it and nearly died herself."

"I'm so sorry," Anna said helplessly. "I wish I could have been there to be of support."

"I hated having to leave her, so I did," he admitted. "She's only just now getting better."

"Where are you living now?" Anna asked. "If it's nearby, I'd love to visit with her."

"Oh, we're garrisoned in a town not all that far out of Portsmouth," he explained patiently. "So not that near at all for a quick visit. The unit is billeted in different places all over town and we ended up with a couple of rooms over a tavern. It was hard for her to get better there because of all the noise at night and all."

"Oh, dear," Anna said, not knowing what else to say, grateful yet again for her good fortune.

"Don't get me wrong," he continued. "We're grateful to have the rooms, as we could have ended up sleeping in a tent again, but I just wished it had been a quieter place. And we're just glad to be back in England, too, so we are."

"I understand." Anna said. "I'll be glad to raise my children on good English soil."

"My compliments, Mrs Hakeswill," Lt Hanley called out from the other side of the table, swaying slightly. "Excellent wine."

"Uh, thank you, Lt. Hanley." She exchanged a look with Obadiah, who grinned and rolled his eyes.

Newkirk remained silent, his attention fully focused on the food on his plate. He'd not eaten this well in quite a long time.

After dinner was over, Anna showed the men to where they would sleep: Lt. Hanley in the spare bedroom that Catherine had so recently vacated, Norris to the sofa in Obadiah's office, and Newkirk to the sofa in the main sitting room. Hanley retired almost immediately, as he had a date with his whiskey flask, with the others following not long after.

Obadiah and Anna spent some time with their children upstairs before they, too, went to bed. It would be their last time together for at least two weeks, so they wanted to make the most of it

Early the next morning, Anna watched Obadiah dress in one of his new uniforms for the first time. "It's almost strange seeing you in a uniform again," she remarked as she slipped her shoes on. "I'd become so quickly accustomed to you in your new clothes."

Surveying himself in the mirror, he said, "This uniform is so much better than any I've had before, it is. It fits me better, like how an officer's uniform fits."

"That's because it was tailored especially for you," she said, laughing. "It does make a difference."

Looking around the room to make sure he'd not forgotten anything, his eyes fell on the nightstand. Walking over, he scooped up the miniature portrait of Anna and slipped it into his pocket. "I'd not want to go off and leave this," he said, twitching. "It'll be almost like havin' you with me. Any time I gets to missing you, I'll pull this out and look at it."

"The same for me," Anna said, picking up the new miniature of Obadiah that had been set in a large pendant. Aunt Catherine had sent over a local painter who'd created the miniature just two weeks before. Glancing at it fondly, she said, I still can't believe how good a job the artist did - it looks just like you."

Taking her in his arms, he kissed her, then murmured, "I'm going to miss you, Anna."

"And I, you," she said softly.

An hour later, Anna Hakeswill, with her two children on either side of her, stood in the front yard as the recruiting party mounted up and got ready to go.

"Remember what I told you, yesterday, boy," Obadiah said as he knelt down to say goodbye to Barry. "Be good for your mother and look out for her and Bridget. I'm countin' on you to be a good soldier, I am".

"I will, Da," the boy said, trying to keep the tears from his eyes.

Turning to Bridget, he hugged her, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Be a good girl for your Mama, little flower, and I'll bring you and Barry something when I comes back home, I will."

The little girl didn't quite understand what was going on, so she just smiled and nodded, hugging her father back.

Rising to his feet, Obadiah took Anna back into the doorway and took her in his arms one last time. "Wear this, 'til you sees me riding back down the lane again," he murmured, twitching, as he lifted the pendant up from where it hung from a gold chain around her neck.

"You can count on that," she said as he leaned in to kiss her. "Take care of yourself and come home safely to me."

He didn't reply, but bent his head to kiss her one last time. Reluctantly breaking away, Obadiah went to his waiting horse, and swung quickly up into the saddle. With one last, longing gaze at Anna and the children, he was off, followed by the rest of the recruiting party.

Anna remained in the yard, watching until Obadiah and the others rode out of sight.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_**Author's note**: The character of Peter Newkirk is named after the Newkirk in the TV show, Hogan's Heroes, who was a bit of a pickpocket and a thief, himself._


	26. On the Way to London

After two hours of riding, Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill was shifting and squirming in discomfort. He was unaccustomed to long hours in the saddle, so every step of the horse's jouncing gait sent jolts of pain up Hakeswill's sparsely padded posterior. He'd not really ridden at all since his last stint as a recruitment sergeant, so he was going to have to get used to riding a horse all over again.

Stealing glances at his companions, he noticed that they looked similarly uncomfortable as well. All except Hanley, that is, who looked as if he'd been born to the saddle. Which he likely had been, Hakeswill thought sourly. Most officers were good horsemen because nearly all of them came from money and had been riding since they'd been old enough to walk. Born with silver spoons in their mouths, they were, and they never had to work for much of anything because they could buy it instead.

And not only did Hakeswill's arse hurt; he urgently needed to use the jakes, too. In his considered opinion, it was about time for the group to take a rest stop.

Obadiah was familiar with the road they were travelling on, as he'd traversed it many times in his previous time as recruitment sergeant. He knew there were several inns and taverns along the way that catered to travellers and, more importantly, he knew which ones tended to attract more affluent patrons.

One such tavern was not too far ahead, Hakeswill remembered. Looking over at Hanley, who was shaking his whiskey flask, hoping to get a few more drops out of it, Obadiah knew it was the right time to propose a stop.

Moving his horse closer to the tipsy officer, he said, "Lt. Hanley. Sir."

"Hakeswill?" Hanley said vaguely, looking at him with bleary eyes.

"Maybe we might ought to stop for a rest break, we should, sir," Hakeswill suggested, twitching. "There's a good tavern not far ahead, sir. I knows this road well, I do."

"Splendid idea, Sergeant," Hanley slurred agreeably. "I do need to refill my flask and I'm sure the rest of you would like to get some refreshments as well."

"Thank you, sir," Hakeswill replied with feigned deference. "I happens to know that this tavern up ahead has a good supply of whiskey, it does, sir. At least it did when I last passed through here."

"Excellent!" Hanley said, spurring his horse in anticipation.

Looking after the lackadaisical officer with sneering contempt, Obadiah now sidled alongside young Newkirk, who looked as if his arse hurt as much as Hakeswill's did. "Newkirk!" he hissed. "We're stopping at a tavern up ahead. I knows this area pretty well and this tavern is one that the posh types likes to stop at. I needs you to see what you can plunder from carriages, saddlebags, and such, when we stop. Most of the toffs parks their carriages in the back, away from the road ,so it's the perfect place to do a bit of thieving."

Giving the sergeant a conspiratorial grin, Newkirk said, "Be me pleasure, Sarge."

"Let me have a look-see first to make sure things is right for it," Obadiah continued. "We'll all take care of our own needs first; visitin' the jakes, filling our canteens and such, then we'll get down to business. That stupid bugger Hanley isn't goin' to be thinking of nothin' more 'n finding more whiskey and getting drunker than what he already is, so's we can take all the time we needs to get it right. If we're lucky, the bleedin' sod might even pass out for awhile."

"What about him?" Newkirk asked gesturing with a nod at Sergeant Norris.

"He won't be of much help to us, but he'll turn a blind eye and mind his own business, he will," Hakeswill said, briefly twitching. "Don't worry about him. Man owes me, he does."

"What if things turn ugly and we needs to get out of here in a hurry?" Newkirk asked.

"It shouldn't if we do it right," Hakeswill said confidently. "But if something happens, leave it to me to create a diversion. That's why it's a good idea for Hanley to be drunk. We can make a big show of getting him back on his horse and such, that it should distract anyone getting suspicious. Even if the drunken sot passes out, we can tie him to his horse when it's time to bugger off."

"Sounds like a good plan, it does, Sarge," Newkirk said, chucking.

"Don't let Hanley or Norris see none of the plunder," Hakeswill cautioned, twitching again. "You and me will look it all over once we stop for the night. It's better to leave them out of it. If they don't know nothing, they can't speak out of turn, whether they means to or not. And I don't plan to share none of what we get with them, neither. Hanley's an officer, he don't need no more money."

"More for us!" Newkirk said gleefully.

"Remember, I gets most of it," Hakeswill warned, glowering. "If you knows what's good for you, you won't hold none of it back from me. But if you do a good job of it, you'll get some for yourself. I rewards them that helps me, I do." After a pause, he added, "Watch and learn, boy. I'm the best there is at stealing 'cos I've been in the army since I was twelve and started off just like you had to. Learned me quite a few tricks over the years, I have."

Within fifteen minutes, the tavern Obadiah had in mind came into view on the left. Noticing that Hanley was obliviously plodding past the establishment, Hakeswill spurred ahead and called out, "Right here, sir! This is where we needs to have our rest stop."

"Oh, yes, of course, Sergeant," Hanley said dreamily, returning somewhat to alertness. "How silly of me not to notice."

Hakeswill led the group around to the side of the tavern to where hitching posts were located to secure the horses. As he dismounted, he shook his head slowly and rolled his eyes, as Hanley awkwardly slid off his horse and staggered as his feet hit the ground.

Turning to Norris, he ordered, "Get him inside and make sure he don't get into no trouble while he's getting a refill for his canteen. Take your time; we ain't in no hurry."

"Right you are, Hakeswill," Norris said as he took Hanley's arm for a moment to steady him. "I could use a rest from that bloody nag, myself."

"Wait right here," Hakeswill told Newkirk after the other two had headed for the tavern. "I needs to use the jakes first. When I come back, you go do what you needs to do and I'll have a look around.

Not waiting for Newkirk to reply, Hakeswill strode off briskly to find the outhouse. Quickly taking care of his business, he headed back to where Newkirk waited with the horses.

"Don't take too long," Hakeswill warned the young drummer as he came near.

After Newkirk had moved off, Obadiah walked all around the tavern, noting several well-kept carriages, several of which were unattended by drivers or footmen. Even better, the ones he'd targeted were in the back, hidden from prying eyes by horses and other carriages, as well as being out of the line of vision of those going to the outhouse.

Passing some horses tied away from those of his group, he looked around carefully to make sure he wasn't being observed. He opened the saddle bag of the nearest horse, sweeping his hand through quickly, making a cursory search. Though not really expecting to find much, he was rewarded when his hand brushed against a round, lumpy object, which his experienced fingers told him was a money pouch. Swiftly pulling it out, he deftly stowed it in his haversack, then refastened the saddle bag. Although he didn't stop to count the contents of the pouch, he knew it was a fair amount, just from the weight of it..

As he made his way back to where his own horse was tethered, he figured that any bugger stupid enough to leave a pouch full of coins in his saddlebags deserved to have them stolen as a punishment for being so bleedin' stupid. But it was a good thing for him that so many people were so clueless.

Hakeswill found Newkirk leaning against a hitching post as he returned to where their horses were tethered.

"I found you a couple of carriages there in the back that were unattended," Hakeswill reported. twitching. "And they're where they won't be seen by those just leaving the tavern or by anybody lookin' for the jakes. I'll go stand near the tavern door and have me a smoke, so's I can see anyone coming out. If that happens, I'll make some sort of commotion, so's you can bugger off and not be caught. I wants you to be thorough, but don't take too much time on any one carriage." Giving Newkirk a sour look, he growled, "Get to it, boy."

A few moments later, Obadiah stationed himself where he could both easily see the tavern door and look in the direction of where Newkirk was looting. After taking his pipe out and filling it, he stood there puffing away as he waited for Newkirk to give him the signal he was finished.

They were in luck. No one came out as the rawboned sergeant stood smoking his pipe. Within ten minutes he saw Newkirk heading his way.

"Well?" Hakeswill demanded.

"Found a fair bit of coin, I did," Newkirk said, grinning. "Shocking, how much these toffs leave lyin' around,. One thought he was bein' clever by stowin' his valuables under the seat. First place I always look, it is. Got a couple of gold watches and a pistol, too. Stowed that in me bag."

"Good," Hakeswill said laconically, as he tapped the ashes out of his pipe on the side of the tavern. He didn't believe in giving too much praise to his men, as that only encouraged them to get above themselves. "Let's go inside and get Hanley and Norris. If you wants something to eat, get it now, but be quick about it. Better for us to be gone and on our way when those buggers notices something missing. There will be plenty more opportunities for us to do more looting later on, mark my words."

They found Hanley and Norris sitting at a table in a corner in the back of the tavern, each drinking a beer. Obadiah slid into a seat next to Norris, then said, "We needs to get going if we're going to get to London at a good hour."

"I've ordered enough food for the four of us and the Lieutenant said he'd pay for it," Norris told him. "Shouldn't be long now."

As he spoke, the barmaid came out with four bowls of stew and more beer. Hakeswill turned to Norris and said in a low voice, "Let's go as soon as we finish eating, eh? Don't want the Lieutenant too drunk to ride."

A short time later, the men were on their way once again, with Hakeswill and Newkirk being a bit richer than when they'd arrived.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

At the same time the recruiting party was sitting down to eat, Aunt Catherine turned up at the Gatekeeper's Lodge.

Breezing into the house after Bessie opened the door, she found Anna sitting in the front room reading a book, with the children sprawled on the rug before her, playing with their toys.

"Good morning, Aunt Catherine," Anna said as the older woman sat down across from her. "I thought I'd get some reading done now that Obadiah is away."

"Good idea," 'Catherine remarked. "I came down to see if you and the children would like to spend the day with me at my house. We could go for a carriage ride and perhaps go down to the village if you think you're up to it. It would probably be good for Bridget to go out and get some fresh air after being confined to bed for so many days. And I thought it might help you from missing Obadiah."

"I'd like that very much," Anna replied. "It would do us all good to have a change of scenery." Setting her book aside, she rose from her chair. "Will you please excuse me for a few minutes while I change my clothes?"

"Of course," Catherine said.

"Would you like a cup of tea while you're waiting?" Anna asked. "Perhaps I should call Bessie to change the children's clothes as well."

"No, I'm fine, dear," the older woman said. "I just had a cup before I came here. And the children are fine as they are. It's just an informal visit. You go on ahead and I'll sit with the children while you're gone."

"I'll be back as quick as I can," Anna promised.

Fifteen minutes later, she reappeared in one of her new outfits, a summery frock in sunflower yellow, along with black leather flat heeled shoes. Completing the outfit was a straw hat, tied with a ribbon matching her gown. Her miniature pendant of Obadiah hung around her neck.

"Oh, you look lovely, my dear," Catherine said, twisting in her chair to get a better look. "The yellow matches your eyes so well."

"Thank you," Anna said. "Obadiah likes to see me in this outfit."

"Missing him already, hmm?" Catherine asked gently, noticing the pendant her niece wore.

"I know it's silly, but I do," Anna said with a wistful smile. "It was so hard to watch him ride away this morning, even though I know he'll be back in a couple of weeks."

"It's never silly to miss the one you love," her aunt told her, patting her hand. Getting to her feet, the older woman said, "Why don't we be on our way."

As the carriage pulled away from the Gatekeeper's Lodge a few minutes later, Anna said hesitantly, "I would like to go to the cemetery today to visit my mother's grave, as I've not been since Obadiah and I got back from India. I hope that won't be too much of an inconvenience for you."

"Not at all," Catherine said quietly. "You should have asked me sooner. I would have been happy to go with you."

"It's really taken me all this time just to get over the long voyage back from India," Anna told her. "And I wanted to spend all that time with Obadiah before he had to go back on duty."

"That makes perfect sense," Catherine said.

"Obadiah told me that he wants to try to visit his mother's grave when the recruiting party heads north," Anna said. "He told me he's never been able to; that he's never been back to where he grew up since joining the army."

"I hope he gets the chance, then," her aunt said. "It will be good for him to go." After a pause, she continued, "Why don't we have a nice lunch first, then we can go to the cemetery. I'll have the gardener cut some flowers from the garden and make a nice bouquet to take."

"Oh, that would be wonderful," Anna said, smiling.

Two hours later, the two women set off for the cemetery, with one of Catherine's maids coming along to help mind the children. The cemetery where Anna's mother was buried was on the grounds of the church where Catherine's father had been vicar, so many years before.

As the carriage pulled up to the wrought iron fence surrounding the cemetery, Catherine said to the maid, "Why don't you take the children to play by that big tree over there. It's a good place because they'll be able to see their mother from there."

Anna and Catherine opened the gate to the cemetery after the maid had done as Catherine requested. Threading their way around years of tombstones, they came upon an elderly man planting flowers by the side of the church, not far from the grave they sought. As the two women approached, he looked up from his work.

"Lady Perkins, good to see yeh," Ezekiel Tomkins said.

"This is Mr Tomkins, the church sexton," Catherine explained to Anna. "He's been sexton here since I was a little girl."

"Pleased to meet you," Anna said politely. "I'm Anna Hakeswill."

"Anna is my niece, recently returned from India with her husband," the older woman told the sexton.

"Horace Perkins' girl?" the old man asked.

"That's right," she said. "We're here to visit my mother's grave."

"Well, I'll leave yeh to it, then," the old man said gruffly turning back to his work. "Nice to see yeh all grown up, Mrs Hakeswill."

Tears came to Anna's eyes as she gazed down at the tombstone:

_Abigail Perkins  
1744-1784  
Beloved wife and mother_

Closing her eyes, she put one hand against he tombstone, leaning heavily. With the other hand, she tightly held the pendant with Obadiah's miniature portrait. After Catherine wordlessly put a hand over hers, Anna said, "Oh, I miss her so much, even after so many years. I wish she could have seen me married and known Barry and Bridget!"

"I know," her aunt said quietly. She did not speak again, but remained close in wordless comfort.

After several minutes, Anna straightened up, squaring her shoulders as she wiped the moisture from her eyes. Giving her aunt a reassuring smile, she said, "Let's go get the children and go home. I feel much better now."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Later that night, Obadiah Hakeswill crawled into bed at the inn where the group had stopped for the night. It had been a long day and he was tired. Before blowing out the candle by his bed, he took the miniature portrait of Anna out of his pocket, gazing at it intently.

"Good night, Anna," he murmured. "I loves you."

After carefully putting the portrait back in his pocket, Obadiah blew out the candle. Rolling over to face the window, he was asleep within minutes.


	27. Recruiting

The next morning, Sergeant Hakeswill encountered Lt. Hanley as he came down the stairs from his room for breakfast. It was a good thing, too, because he needed to tell the lackadaisical lieutenant how they were going to go about recruiting, before he got too drunk to reason with.

"Oh, I'm glad I found you, sir," Hakeswill said as he met the officer at the bottom of the stairs. "We needs to go over our duties, sir, we do. As you know, I've got experience recruiting, so's I went ahead a made a plan, sir, that should help you along, see?"

"Capital!" the young officer replied. "I've never done this before, so I haven't a clue on how to even begin. So, I truly appreciate all your help, Sergeant. I'm glad I'll be able to rely on your knowledge and experience."

"Glad to do it, sir," Hakeswill said with feigned earnestness. "I only hope I can live up to your expectations, sir."

"Why don't you come along with me to breakfast," Hanley suggested affably. "I'm paying. You can tell me all about it while we eat."

"Don't mind if I do," Obadiah said, twitching. It was a policy of his to never turn down a free meal. And the sooner he told this stupid bugger what he needed to do, the sooner they could get on with it. The wily sergeant knew he'd get money for every man he signed on, as would Norris, and Hanley would get a bit more. While it was important to sign on as many as possible, Obadiah wasn't worried, as he and Newkirk would make more stealing, in any instance.

A short time later, after they'd been served and Hanley was sipping on his first bit of brandy for the day, Hakeswill began to lay out his plan to the young officer.

"First of all, there's three main ways we gets recruits," Obadiah told him. "There's the militia, the jails and workhouses, and then at taverns and pubs." After taking a bite of food, he said, "First thing we should do is go to the militia and get some of them buggers to join the regular army. They're already halfway trained, they are, so's they can be made use of faster."

"Makes sense," Hanley remarked.

"We just tells 'em all good stories about bein' in the army," Hakeswill explained. "We makes 'em believe that the army is nothing but glory, victory, and adventure, we do, and about all the foreign women we gets to roger and such."

"Ah, I see," Hanley said, chuckling.

"If we don't get any takers, then we pays off the militia sergeant," Obadiah continued. "He's always glad to help, 'cos it makes him a bit of money and it helps him to get rid of his troublemakers, see? He'll drill the hell out of those buggers for days, until they gives in and signs up just so's they can get some rest." The scrawny sergeant cackled malevolently at the thought of this.

"I understand," the young officer replied.

"The next places that's good for finding recruits is jails and workhouses," Hakeswill went on. "Most of these poor sods will either be hanged or shipped off to Australia otherwise, so it's usually not too hard to convince 'em to join the army."

"No, I don't imagine it would be," Hanley agreed

"Our drummer, Newkirk, came in that way," Obadiah confided. "Told me he'd much rather be in the army than spend almost forever at sea to get to the ends of the Earth, he did."

"What was he in jail for?" Hanley asked, curious. "He seems to be a good fellow."

"It was for stealin'," Hakeswill told him in a confidential tone. "But he had to - he was despairin' of how to help feed his baby sister, he was." Obadiah cuffed back an imaginary tear as he said this, since he had absolutely no clue as to the circumstances of Newkirk's arrest or if he even had a baby sister.

"That's such a shame," Hanley replied sympathetically, taking the wily sergeant at face value.

"Last, there's the pubs and taverns," Hakeswill said, moving right along. "Any place where there's strong drink is a good place, 'cos men ain't so much on guard and are ready to believe anything you tells them after they've been drinkin' awhile. It's easier to gull them into taking that shilling if they're drunk."

He took a drink, then continued, "And the barman generally will give us a helping hand if we pays them something. They can get the kind of buggers we needs to the tavern in the first place and sometimes will even give us a good price on the drinks."

"That sounds like a good system," Hanley agreed. "Do you use any other recruitment methods?"'

"Sometimes we go to county fairs, horse races and such," Obadiah told him, briefly twitching. "We'll pick a good spot to set up, then the drummer goes through his routine to attract people. It's not the easiest place to get recruits. Most of the ones we gets that way are on the run from something."

He did not add that this was how he'd ended up joining the army. About a week after Obadiah had buggered off after being hanged, he'd encountered a recruiting party at a county fair about fifty miles from his home town. He'd originally gone to the fair hoping to find some food to steal, but had been attracted by the recruiting party's drums. The fact that they'd given him his first good meal since before he'd been hanged had helped to seal the deal.

"What do you do after you get the recruits?"

"First they sees a doctor to make sure they won't die on us; that they can do what they needs to do as a soldier," Obadiah told him. "Then we takes them to a magistrate to have them sworn in, all nice and legal-like. That's why we only stays out recruiting for two weeks at a time, 'cos we has to take the recruits back to headquarters with us to start their duty. Some of 'em changes their minds after they sign up and try to bugger off, so we don't want to have any more to deal with than we can't handle, see?"

"I understand," Hanley said. "Where do you think we should start?'

"We should do the militia first, sir," Hakeswill told him. "Then the jails and workhouses. We do those first, 'cos we don't have to take the buggers with us 'til we're ready to head back. Less men to keep track of that way, it is. We saves the pubs and taverns for last, 'cos we has to take 'em with us right away."

"What about the fairs and horse races?" the officer asked.

'Not this time," the sergeant said firmly. "We'll be doin' some of that as we start lookin' further north. Got enough to handle for one trip now, we do, eh?"

"I suppose you're right." Hanley really didn't care one way or the other, as he was happy to leave it all up to Hakeswill.

"You and I will oversee the recruitin' itself," Obadiah decided. "I can do most of the talkin', 'cos I've done it before, but there might be some things that call for an officer to handle, sir. You can tell them how you'd be proud and honoured to lead such gentleman soldiers into battle and that sort of thing. Stir up that feeling of being a part of something bigger than themselves, see? I'll be telling 'em about more practical things such as getting away from bad situations at home and so on."

"Excellent," Hanley replied. "What about Norris and Newkirk?"

"They'll be the ones overseeing the recruits going to the doctor and being sworn in," the sergeant explained. "I'll have Newkirk go with me when we visit a jail, so's he can tell them how his life has got better since joining the army from jail. He'll be useful, too, when we finally go to a fair or a horse race, to play his drum. Easiest will be when we set up at a pub. We just sits there and chats up the stupid buggers while we gets them drunk. I'll do most of the talking there,, too, sir. Norris and Newkirk, again, will be the ones taking them to the doctor and magistrate, 'fore they can get the chance to think too much about what they've done and tries to run away."

"It seems as if you have it all figured out and planned well," the officer said. "I have every confidence that you will be instrumental in us reaching our goals, Sergeant Hakeswill."

"Thank you, sir," Obadiah said, thinking of how easy it was to gull the naïve officer. He'd get his quota of recruits, plus he and Newkirk would bring in even more money by stealing. As they continued to eat, joined a short time later by the other members of their party, Obadiah made a mental note to find a good pawnbroker to hock some of the items they would steal in the next few days. He looked forward to returning home to Anna with full pockets.

A few hours later, the recruitment party went to where a local militia unit was drilling. After watching for a few moments, the officer in charge of the group invited Hanley inside the small headquarters building for a drink, which suited Obadiah Hakeswill just fine. Obadiah and the remaining members of the party continued to watch as the militia sergeant continued to drill the men.

Hakeswill noticed several men who seemed to be disgruntled, but who also looked as if they could be broken sufficiently to eventually be biddable soldiers. After the men were dismissed for a short break, Obadiah approached his fellow sergeant.

"Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, at your service,' he said, looking resplendent in his spanking new uniform, as he greeted the other sergeant. "Come to do some recruiting for the 33rd, I have."

"I think I might have a few for you," the other sergeant said. "My name's Crawford; Sergeant William Crawford."

"Got you some malcontents you wants to gets rid of, eh?' Hakeswill said matter-of-factly, cackling. "I'll be glad to take them off your hands.'

"I can think of about three of four who fit that description," Crawford said. "I'll be glad to finally get rid of them."

"I'll talk to them once they come back from break," Obadiah decided. "If all the ones you picked don't sign up, I'll leave for a few days, then come back. You knows what to do when I'm gone, eh? There's money in it for you for each one that signs up."

"That I do," Crawford said with a conspiratorial grin.

As the men assembled once again, back from their break, Crawford stepped forward. "Before we begin again, Sergeant Hakeswill here would like to have a few words with you."

"Listen up, lads!" Hakeswill said, loud enough for every man to hear him. "I'm here today to offer you the opportunity to serve King and country by joinin' the regular army! The 33rd Regiment of Foot is needin' a few dashin' young men whose hearts beat fast to tread the path of glory, to serve as gentlemen soldiers. Young men of this description should know this opportunity bein' offered to them, which never may occur again, is for enlisting into one of the finest regiments in the service."

Turning his head to Newkirk, who stood nearby with his musket, Hakeswill gestured to the young drummer, who handed him the weapon. As the young man began to softly beat time with his drum, Hakeswill performed the steps of the musket drill for the assembled men. Each movement was so precise and clean, it was as if Obadiah had been trained by a Prussian.

The men watched attentively, because not even the best of them could come close to the crispness of Sergeant Hakeswill's movements, which looked so effortless as to almost be an art form.

After he was done, he tossed the musket back to Norris, who caught it deftly.

"So, boys," he said, twitching, as he made eye contact with as many of the group as possible. "Do I have any takers. Who's with me to go fight ol' Boney and whip his Froggy arse?" Walking over to a wooden bench, he took out his pipe. "Take you a few minutes to think about it. I'll be having me a smoke here while you consider."

The men began to talk amongst themselves, some interested, but unsure. Most, however, were happy just where they were and had no interest in joining.

As one young man, about eighteen years old approached him cautiously, Hakeswill made a big show out of indicating that he was out of tobacco.

"Sergeant," the blond-headed man said hesitantly. "I'd like to talk more with you about this."

"Be happy to, lad," Obadiah replied in an affable tone. Tapping his pipe again, he said, "But it seems I'm out of tobacco, and I talks best when I'm smoking a pipe, see?"

"There's a tobacco shop right across the street," the naïve young man said eagerly. "I'd be happy to go get you a bag."

"Much obliged to you," Hakeswill replied, with a malevolent gleam in his eyes. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a shilling and tossed it to the other man.

"I won't be long," the militia man promised, moving off to do Hakeswill's bidding.

"Take your time," the wily sergeant said. "I ain't goin' nowhere for awhile."

After the young man was out of earshot, Hakeswill said to Norris, who was standing behind him, "Well, there's one."

"You think he'll enlist?" the other sergeant said.

"He already has!" Obadiah said, twitching briefly, cackling.

"I didn't hear him say so," Norris said dubiously.

"He took the King's shilling," Hakeswill pointed out. "That means he's committed himself to enlisting. When he gets back, I wants you and Newkirk to get him to the doctor and then to the magistrate, quick-like."

"That's dishonest," Norris said in a disapproving tone. "He thinks he's spending your money doing you a favour."

"Have to be!" Obadiah said, twitching again. "We'd never make our quota otherwise."

"I think that one's father will protest," Crawford put in mildly. "He won't like it none at all, I'd wager. He wasn't even keen on him being in the militia."

"If he wants his boy to stay home, there is an easy solution," Hakeswill said, his tone conversational. "If he pays me 25 pounds, then I'll be happy to forget all about it. Five of it, I'll give to you. I'll give you a cut if any of your troublemakers joins up, too."

"Give me a few days on those and you'll have them," Crawford promised. "I'll likely have a bit of 'persuading' to do, first, though."

"I'll come back three days from now to get 'em," Hakeswill promised. "Be happy to take 'em off your hands."

At that moment the hapless young militia man, whose name was Thomas Rollins, returned, carrying a bag of tobacco.

"Here's your tobacco, Sergeant." Rollins said, handing him the bag.

"'Preciate it," Hakeswill said. "Now, you needs to go with Sergeant Norris to go see the doctor and then to the magistrate."

"What for?' he young man asked, puzzled. "I thought that wouldn't come until I'd enlisted."

"You have enlisted, boy," Hakeswill said, cackling. "You took the King's Shilling."

"But that was to buy you tobacco," Rollins protested. "I thought it was your money."

"You took the shilling fair and square," the wily sergeant said, unmoved by the younger man's protests. "It's none of my concern what you chooses to do with it after I gives it to you."

"My father will hear about this," the young man said coldly.

"That's fine, boy," Hakeswill said, twitching. "You send him to talk to me, if that makes you feel better, eh?"

Later that evening, as Obadiah sat at a table at the inn eating his supper, an angry man stalked into the establishment and made a beeline for him. The cut and style of his clothes marked him as a merchant of the middling sort.

"Are you Sergeant Hakeswill?" the man said gruffly, looking at the rawboned man with disgust.

"That I am," Hakeswill replied, leaning back lazily in his chair. "What can I do for you."

"You tricked my son into joining the army!" Henry Rollins declared loudly. "His enlistment isn't valid because he did so under false pretenses. He thought you were giving him some of your own money to do you a favour."

"Listen here," Obadiah retorted, jabbing his finger into the air to emphasize his point. "Your boy has been in the militia a good while and he should have known that if you takes a shilling from a recruitin' sergeant, then you've done enlisted. Simple as that. Not m y problem if he's a stupid bugger and don't know how to look out for himself, it ain't." Taking a swig of his ale, the sergeant continued, "And he knew I was a recruitin' sergeant. I'd just finished givin' a speech encouraging men to join. He came to me after the speech, wantin' to talk to me about joinin', of his own free will."

"That's not what he told me," the older man insisted. "He told me he had no intention of joining."

"You thinks so, eh?" Obadiah said, chuckling.

"I didn't even want him joining the militia, let alone the regular army," Rollins admitted. "I need him at home to help run our business. It's going to be his to inherit one day."

"Not my problem, it ain't," Hakeswill said, twitching. Looking intently at the other man, he said, "Tell you what. If you gives me 25 pounds, I'm prepared to forget the whole matter and let him go home."

"I don't have that kind of money," Rollins insisted, blanching.

"I'll give you three days to come up with it," Hakeswill said. "If you do, I'll let him go. If not, he goes with me. Makes no difference to me either way, it don't."

"You'll have it," Rollins growled, spinning on his heel to leave.

"Pleasure doin' business with you, it is," Obadiah said, cackling, as he raised his glass to the retreating back of the elder Rollins.

The next day, the recruiting party made its way to the local jail. Hanley had begged off, pleading a hangover. That suited Obadiah Hakeswill fine, as the young officer would just be out of the place in a jail, as the inmates would only respond to those who spoke their language.

Four men signed up after Obadiah had given his pitch, and young Newkirk had told of his experiences since joining the army.

Two of the men had been sentenced to hang, the other two, to be sent to Australia. Obadiah went first to stand in front of the cell shared by the men who were to hang, pulling down his collar to proudly show them his hanging scar.

"See this?" he said, pointing. "I was hanged when I wasn't but twelve years old, but I didn't die! When I was able to get away, I joined the army first thing and it's been my home ever since. I've been under enemy fire countless times. I've been stabbed, I've been thrown in with tigers and snakes. But I didn't die! Army's been good to me and it can be good to you, too, and you can go in without havin' to hang awhile first."

With the other two, who were to be shipped to Australia for thievery, he took a different approach. "Why should you let yourself be sent to some God-forsaken empty place at the ends of the Earth after spending the better part of a year on some leaky old tub. And when you gets there, you'll find there's nothin' worth stealin'."

Leaning closer to their cell so the guard wouldn't hear, he said, "It's different in the army. You goes to heathen countries, but don't have to stay there forever. And you'll find plenty of good things to steal, too. You're allowed to strip the bodies of dead enemy soldiers after a battle - everybody does it. And the army feeds and clothes you, plus there's always plenty of heathen women to roger wherever you go."

It didn't take much persuading for these men and soon Norris and Newkirk were on their way with the four to get them processed.

Their recruitment efforts at the inn's tavern were equally productive. Obadiah made sure the booze flowed freely as he gulled the young men who turned up at the pub, some of them thanks to the barman, who would be paid for his help.

With some, it was a matter of putting a shilling in the bottom of their beer mug - the moment they reached in to pull the shilling out, they were hooked. With others, they were persuaded by Obadiah's blather, which was little different from what he'd said at the jail, except he pointed out that the army was a good way to get away from cruel masters, bad employers, and nagging wives. It seemed there were plenty of men looking for an escape from their dreary and tedious lives.

When Obadiah returned to the militia training grounds, Sergeant Crawford had four men, now only too willing to join the regular army after the ordeal Crawford had put him through. Hakeswill gladly paid the other sergeant his cut. Better yet, the elder Rollins returned and coughed up the 25 pounds, grumbling irritably. Hakeswill didn't care - he preferred the 25 pounds, less five to Crawford, than having to keep up with one more recruit.

Best of all, he and Newkirk had done well with their stealing on the side, mainly coins and jewellery. Obadiah let Newkirk have ten percent of the money, while he kept all of the proceeds when he hocked the jewellery and a few other items at a nearby pawn shop.

Hakeswill was content as he retreated to his room one evening to write Anna a letter. He set the miniature portrait of her on the desk as he wrote, so that writing the letter would almost be like talking with her. As he wrote, Obadiah missed her even more keenly and he could not wait to return home to her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

**Author's note**:_ My source material for typical recruitment methods used during this time was gleaned from the book "Redcoat" by Richard Holmes._


	28. Domestic Tranquillity

Anna Hakeswill kept herself busy the entire time Obadiah was off with the recruiting party, knowing that if she did so, she wouldn't have as much time to miss her husband quite so much.

She'd seen Aunt Catherine every day; either she and the children would go up to the large mansion to visit her or her aunt would visit them. They'd taken the carriage to visit the nearby village one day, where Catherine had introduced her to some of the villagers, who had been much more gracious to her than her former so-called friends had been at her aunt's dinner party. She was certain that Obadiah would feel much more comfortable with them as well, if he ever had the chance to meet any of them. She and Catherine also visited the church a few times, where they'd worked with other women of the church preparing food baskets for some destitute families in the parish.

She'd also taken part of the time to get started reading the books that had come with their new home. The young mother had found an alphabet book suitable for Barabbas, knowing that the time was soon coming where she would teach him to read.

The children had missed their father for the first few days, often going to the window to look to see if they could spot him riding home. But they soon adjusted to their change in routine, though Barry spent a good bit of his time playing soldier, using the wooden sword his father had made for him. Wanting his Da to be proud of him when he came home, he spend a part of every day patrolling the house and yard. Anna had made him a little red jacket, cut along the same lines as Obadiah's uniform jacket, which he wore proudly.

Early one afternoon, about a week and a half after Obadiah had left, the young mother smiled indulgently as she watched her small son carry out his rounds, wondering if Obadiah had looked like this as a boy.

As she continued to imagine her husband as a child, her smile slowly faded into a frown. Obadiah didn't talk much about being a boy, but her instincts told her that his childhood must have been a bleak, difficult one. The only positive thing she'd ever heard him say about that time in his life was how his mother looked after him so well. As Anna continued to watch her son happily playing, she was grateful that she and Obadiah would be able to give their children a happier childhood that he'd been obliged to endure. She also vowed to herself that she would do anything in her power to help Obadiah to heal from the injustices that had been visited upon him as a little boy.

Anna tired more easily these days as her pregnancy progressed. With Obadiah away, she napped each day when the children napped. Now, after settling herself on the sofa in the front room to do a bit of reading, she rubbed a gentle hand over her belly, thinking of the new baby soon to come. As she daydreamed idly, she felt the baby kick beneath her hand.

"Oh, you're an active one," she murmured to herself, smiling. "Just like your father."

As Bessie brought her a cup of tea a few minutes later, Anna thought of how she and Obadiah had yet to settle on a name for this baby. They'd spoken about it briefly before Obadiah had left on duty, with Anna asking him to think about it while he was gone. Since he'd been gone, she had even taken to noting down interesting names she came across in her reading. She made a note to bring up the topic again once Obadiah returned home.

About a half hour later, a knock came at the front door, as Anna dozed on the sofa, with the children playing on the rug in front of her. In her somnolent state, she barely registered the sound, but Bessie bustled out from Obadiah's study, where she'd been cleaning, to answer it.

A moment later, Bessie was standing over her, waving an envelope. "Mrs Hakeswill! There's a letter for you!'

Easing herself up into a sitting position, she took the letter from the servant. Recognizing Obadiah's untidy scrawl on the envelope, she said, "Thank you, Bessie. That will be all."

The letter was short and to the point, but Anna didn't mind. Just the fact that he'd written at all showed that Obadiah was thinking of her. She smiled to herself and touched a finger to her pendant when she read the part where he'd written that he'd set her portrait in front of him on the desk as he wrote the letter. Reading on, she was glad to find out that he'd done well with recruiting and would be home soon to spend a bit of time with her and the children. As she folded the letter and slipped it into her pocket, she decided not to say a word about it to the children, knowing that Obadiah would get pleasure from surprising them when he got home.

The young mother eased back on the sofa again, to doze awhile before dinner. She could smell that Mrs Harris had already started dinner and Bessie was nearby should the children want anything while she napped. Anna was determined to get as much rest as possible because she knew that sleep would be in short supply once the new baby arrived. It would be infinitely easier on her than when Barry and Bridget had been born, now that she had live-in help, but, still, Anna would have to be the one to get up when the baby needed to be nursed. Some women hired wet nurses to do that, but neither she nor Obadiah believed in such things. As long as she was able to feed the new baby herself, it was her place to do so.

Nearly an hour later, Anna felt a tap on her shoulder. "Go on and let Mama rest her eyes awhile longer, Barry," she murmured sleepily, not opening her eyes. "Dinner will be ready soon."

A raspy cackle was the only response to her mumbled words. Anna's eyes flew open to see Obadiah standing over her, grinning wolfishly.

"Obadiah!" she exclaimed happily, sitting up. "I didn't expect you home for another few days." Pulling him down to sit on the couch with her, she continued, "When did you get home? I didn't hear the front door open."

"Just got here, I did," he said, twitching, as he leaned over to kiss her. "We met our quota, so's we came home early." Kissing her again, he added, "And you knows how stealthy I can be when I gets a mind to be. You were fast asleep when I came in, so it wasn't hard at all. Snoring, you were."

"I do not _snore_, Obadiah Hakeswill!" she said in mock indignation, giving him a playful swat.

"If you say so," he replied, rolling his eyes at her, still chuckling.

"I couldn't possibly snore as much as you do," she said, laughing merrily.

"I admits it," he said earnestly, twitching again. "I knows I snore." Grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close, he growled, "But there won't be no snoring from neither of us tonight. I got me a powerful itch that needs a good scratching. Been nearly two weeks, it has."

Anna responded with a low chuckle as his hands roamed her body avidly. But before she could say anything more, both children ran into the room.

"Da! Da!" they both cried, rushing over to grab their father around the legs. "You're home! What did you bring us?'

"Settle down, you little heathens," Obadiah said, chuckling, as he hugged each child in turn. "Your Da just got home, he did. Give me a chance to relax a bit first, eh?"

"It's almost dinner time," Anna observed. "Let your father get something to eat first, then he'll show you what he brought."

"I was good while you were gone, Da," Barry assured his father in a serious tone, still wearing the red jacket Anna had made and carrying his wooden sword. "I did what you told me and looked all around the house for bad men." He swung his sword enthusiastically to show what he would have done had any miscreants made the mistake of coming near the Hakeswill home.

"I believes you," Obadiah said. "You did a good job while I was away, Private Hakeswill."

Barry grinned from ear to ear to hear his father's praise and to be called "Private Hakeswill". It made him feel like a real soldier.

"Time for supper, it is," his father said. "You leaves that sword here while we go eat, eh?'

As Barry obeyed, Obadiah picked up Bridget to carry her to the table to eat. "How's my little flower, eh?" he asked, glad to see all traces of her recent illness gone. "You missed your Da, eh?"

Bridget nodded, then snuggled up close to her father, yawning, as he patted her on the back.

"I knows _someone_ who is going to bed early tonight, I do," Obadiah said, chuckling as he set her down at the dinner table.

"Not me!" Barry exclaimed gleefully. "But Bridget is!"

"You, too," Anna told him. "You've been running around all day and didn't get a good nap in, so you need to go to bed early so you can get up early tomorrow and spend time with your father." She looked over her son's head to shared a conspiratorial grin with Obadiah.

"But I want to stay up and see what Da brought us!" Barry complained, making a face.

"Now what did I tell you that a good soldier does?" Obadiah said severely.

"Obeys orders, he does," Barry said miserably. "Even the ones he don't like."

"That's right," his father said, twitching, his voice a bit softer. "I said you'd get to see what I brought you after supper and you will. But it's off to bed right after that, it is."

"And, first, you'll eat everything on your plate that Mrs Harris went to so much trouble to make for you," Anna added.

"Yes, Mama," Barry said sullenly.

It was a quick meal, as everyone in the family had a reason to hurry. The children were eager to see what their father had brought them. Obadiah was nearly fit to burst with almost two weeks of built-up lust and Anna was blushing at just the thought of holding her husband in her arms again.

Twenty minutes later, the Hakeswill family went back into the front room where Obadiah had left his bags. Both children were on their father's heels, eager to see what was in the bags.

"Hold your horses," Obadiah told them, chuckling. "Go sit down with your mother. You'll see what I brought soon enough."

Waiting until his children had obeyed, Obadiah took two items wrapped in burlap out of a large bag. Unwrapping one item, he pulled out a large rag doll for Bridget. Noting with satisfaction how her eyes lighted up to see it, he placed it gently into her arms. "There you go, little flower. A baby of your very own to take care of, she is."

Bridget didn't say a word, but merely hugged the doll tightly.

"What do you say, Bridget," Anna prompted gently.

"Thank you, Da," the little girl chirped, then leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "I love her."

"Glad you likes it," he said gruffly, patting her gently on the head. Turning to unwrap the other item, he handed a very impatient Barry a shako exactly like his own. He'd stolen it from the supply room at militia headquarters, taking the smallest one he could find.

Putting it on the little boy's head, he said, "Now you looks like a proper soldier, Private Hakeswill."

Grinning proudly, Barry strutted across the room to look at himself wearing the shako in the mirror. Even as small as it was, it still fell over his eyes, but Barry didn't care.

"I looks just like you now, Da," Barry exclaimed. "I'll be able to patrol even better with this hat. I'm a real soldier now!"

"That you do," he said approvingly. "Now, it's time for you both to go to bed. You can take your new things up to bed with you."

Taking her cue, Anna rang the little bell to summon Bessie, who immediately came in from the kitchen to take charge of the children.

Kissing both children briefly, Anna said, "You go along with Bessie now and I'll be up to tuck you in after a little while."

After Bessie had shepherded the children upstairs, Anna turned to Obadiah to ask, "How long will you be able to stay before you have to leave again?

"Nearly two weeks," he told her. "They'll come to get me again, 'cos we'll be headed north next time."

Sitting close to her husband on the sofa, Anna leaned in closer and purred, "Did you bring anything home for me?"

"That I did, but you'll have to come upstairs with me to get it," he chuckled lowly, his eyes gleaming lustfully, as he took her into his arms to give her a long kiss.

"We'll have to wait until the children settle down before we can go to bed," Anna warned him as his hands roamed her body.

"I know," he said, twitching. "I'm tempted to do you right here on this couch."

"Obadiah!" Anna said, scandalized. "Bessie will be down in just a few minutes and Mrs Harris is still in the kitchen. "You'll just have to wait awhile longer. Surely a few more minutes won't kill you."

"I don't know, Anna," he rumbled as he leaned against her, his need evident. "This was all I could think about ridin' home today. And I thought a good bit about it the whole time I was gone, too." Kissing her again, he said, "I just miss bein' with you, Anna, see?"

"We can do it in the tower room if you want," Anna suggested, her voice trailing off.

"If you wants to," Obadiah said. "Don't matter where to me none at all."

Fortunately for Obadiah, Bessie came back downstairs a moment later.

"They're both nearly asleep," the young servant reported.

"You can have the rest of the night off," Obadiah told her. "Mrs Harris, too. We won't be needin' you for the rest of the night."

"Yes, sir," Bessie said, glad to get some time to herself, smiling inwardly because she knew exactly why her employers were so eager to get rid of her for the evening.

No sooner had Bessie retreated into the kitchen than Obadiah grabbed Anna's hand. "What are we waitin' for. Let's get upstairs."

"I'm right behind you," Anna assured him.

Three hours later, as Obadiah and Anna were snuggling together in bed, Obadiah stretched like a contented cat and said, "Now, I feel properly welcomed home, I do. When I was away recruitin', I felt so lonely in bed every night without you bein' there beside me."

"I felt the same way when you were gone," she murmured. "Even thought I kept busy, nothing was the same here without you."

"If we didn't have no little 'uns, I'd have you come with me when I go recruitin'," he told her. "Some married sergeants bring their wives along, they do."

"Maybe we can try that some time when the children are older," Anna said hesitantly. "Your letter said that you did well recruiting."

"That we did," he affirmed. "Hanley did just what I told him to do and pretty much stayed out of my way. And even though I'd not done any recruitin' in over ten years, it seems I'm just as good at it now as I ever was. We got more 'n our quota, enough so's I was able to let one stupid bugger's father pay him out of his enlistment and take him home. Got 20 pounds out of that, I did. Newkirk and I did a bit of plundering, too, so's I've got a good bit of money for you to put in the strongbox. With that and what the army gives me for each recruit, we did real good."

"I worry about you when you steal," Anna said, frowning. "It's more likely for you to get caught here in England than it was in India. And you know they'll hang you if you get caught."

"I knows what I'm doing," he assured her. "Been doing it since I was a little 'un, I have, so's I know different ways on how to do it, depending on where I am."

"Still, I can't help but worry about you," Anna said, still not entirely convinced. "Surely, you don't need to steal any more now that we have Father's money?"

"It'll keep us for awhile, but it won't last forever," he told her, twitching. "Even with doin' the investin' your aunt told us about, we still need more, since I don't plan to stay in the army forever. I needs to make as much money as I can now, and stealing is the best way to do it. Once I gets out of the army, I won't have many opportunities to make extra money, so's I'm making it any way I can while I can, see?"

"And I appreciate you looking out so well for us," Anna said, kissing him on the cheek. "I just wish you didn't have to put yourself in danger to do it."

Yawning gustily, he said, "Don't you worry no more about it. We needs to get some sleep now, 'cos I know the little 'uns will get us out of bed early."

"How right you are," Anna said, after he leaned over to kiss her goodnight. "Good night, Obadiah. I love you."

"And I loves you," he replied drowsily, before drifting off to sleep, completely content.


	29. A Few Days at Home

Obadiah's prediction just before going to sleep the night before turned out to be prophetic. No sooner had the first feeble rays of sunlight from the coming day appeared over the horizon than two pair of small feet pattered down the hallway to burst into their parents' room.

Getting up readily enough because he expected their early morning raid, Obadiah went downstairs with the children for breakfast while Anna slept in for awhile. His stomach was rumbling and the smell of coffee already brewing in the kitchen made him even hungrier. Scooping Bridget up in his arms, he hurried downstairs, with Barry hot on his heels, ready to start the day. Obadiah had never thought he'd live to see the day when he would have a wife and children that loved him and moments like this made him grateful that his fortunes had changed. He only wished that his beloved mother could have lived so that Obadiah could have taken care of her for a change and could have known her grandchildren.

After having a quick breakfast with the children, Obadiah decided to get a mug of coffee to take out back and to enjoy a smoke in the early morning sunshine. As Bessie came in to take away their plates, he told her, "When you go upstairs to dress the little 'uns, take up a plate to my wife, 'cos she needs to rest a bit more today. I'll be out back, so bring them back down to me once you finish dressin' 'em."

"Right away," Bessie murmured, as she quickly took the plates to the kitchen, then fixed another one for the mistress of the house.

A few moments later, the servant knocked on Anna's bedroom door. "It's Bessie," the young woman called out.

"Come in."

"The Sergeant sent me up with your breakfast," Bessie explained. "He said that you're not to get up until you're good and ready to."

"Oh, how he spoils me," Anna said with a shy smile, sitting up as the morning sun streamed into the room. "I shouldn't be too long abed, however, I don't think. Lady Perkins will be coming to dinner this evening, so I should go over the menu with Mrs Harris soon."

"That he does," Bessie agreed, returning her smile. When the Hakeswills had first moved in, Bessie couldn't understand why she'd married beneath her, but after seeing them interact, it now made better sense to her. Obadiah Hakeswill might not be a gentleman or even particularly handsome, but he did treat his wife like a rare, valuable jewel. Sighing to herself, Bessie hoped that she might find a man someday who would treat her the same way.

After Anna had finished eating her breakfast and hurriedly dressed, she met Bessie in the corridor with the children, who were ready for the day. Barry was wearing his red coat with the oversize shako on his head and was dragging his wooden sword behind him. Bridget was unencumbered, save for the rag doll her father had brought her.

"Come along, children," Anna said briskly as she guided them down the stairs. "Your Da is waiting downstairs for you."

They found Obadiah sitting outside on a bench against the back wall of the house a few moments later, leaning back as he enjoyed his pipe. Anna carefully eased herself down on the bench next to her husband as the children went to play in the grass, which was still shiny with morning dew..

"You should have stayed in bed and got you some rest," Obadiah said as he took one of her hands in his. "I can watch the little 'uns for awhile."

"I may nap awhile later," Anna said, squeezing his hand. "But I wanted to sit outdoors and spend some time with you. I have missed you, you know."

"You showed me just how much you missed me last night, you did," he replied, twitching. "But just so's I don't forget, you'll have to show me again tonight."

Blushing she said, "Just as single minded as ever, I see."

"I didn't hear you complainin' none last night," he pointed out, cackling.

"You have me there." Changing the subject, she told him, "Aunt Catherine is coming for dinner tonight. She'll be bringing a bottle of good brandy."

"Generous to a fault, that woman is," Obadiah said. "Be good to see her again, it will."

"She was good company for me while you were gone," Anna said. "And I think she missed you, too."

Obadiah didn't respond, but he was quite touched to hear that the older woman might have missed him. Throughout his life, in his experience, most people had been glad to see him go. Even after four years of marriage, he still wasn't used to the idea of people wanting him around.

"Speaking of Aunt Catherine, I need to go inside to speak to Mrs Harris about tonight's menu," she continued. "Help me up, would you. I've been feeling most ungainly lately.."

"It ain't no surprise considering how far along you are," he said, as he hauled his wife to her feet. "Believe we're going to have another big baby, we are."

"No doubt," Anna said wryly. "I shouldn't be long with Mrs Harris."

"Take your time," Obadiah said affably. "I'll be here watchin' the little 'uns' antics for awhile."

Obadiah gazed at his wife appreciatively, as she moved carefully to the door that opened into the kitchen, If anything, she was even more beautiful to him when she was pregnant, glowing with the bloom of motherhood. Not for the first time, he was glad she was his.

He turned to watch the children, chuckling as he observed Barry so seriously making his patrol around the perimeter of the property, with Bridget tagging behind him. He was glad to be able to give them a carefree childhood, where they didn't have to worry about where their next meal was coming from or people who would hurt them.

Their childhood had been nothing like his, and for that he was thankful. As a boy, Obadiah often had to go to bed without enough to eat. From his earliest memories, he remembered being thrashed regularly by village boys bigger than him, though as he got a bit older he learned to give as good as he got. Then there was the series of men who took advantage of his mother's loneliness who frequently knocked him around, along with his mother. By the time he was ten years old, he'd already had his nose broken twice. Frowning, he remembered when he'd been about six or seven, one brutish lout who had beaten his mother when she was pregnant, causing her to lose the baby, This had been the same man who had caused him to hang a few years later, passing off his own crime onto Obadiah.

When his mother had died when he was eleven, he was certain it was a result of all the ill treatment she'd been subjected to over the years. Tears came unbidden into his eyes as he yet again felt the helplessness he'd felt then when he'd not been able to do anything to save her.

Looking to his children again, Obadiah vowed to himself that as long as he had breath in his body that nothing even remotely similar would ever happen to them.

So intent was he on his unpleasant ruminations that he did not notice when Anna returned and once more took a seat by him.

"What's wrong, love?' Anna asked in concern when she noticed his glowering expression and moist eyes staring off into the distance.

Startled, he straightened up. "Nothing's wrong, missy," he hastened to assure her, twitching nervously. "Was just letting my mind wander too far into the past, is all."

Anna did not press him, but she knew he'd been thinking about his childhood again. Since they'd been together, she'd caught him several times brooding like this. She hoped that one day Obadiah would be able to find closure from the demons of his childhood, as it hurt her to see him hurting.

Squeezing his hand gently in wordless comfort, she changed the subject. "Mrs Harris will be making a roast. I wanted to make sure she'd make something that was one of your favourites and was also something Aunt Catherine likes, too. There will be an apple pie as well."

"Sounds good, it does," he said, allowing himself to be distracted from his thoughts. He knew Anna was concerned about him, but he didn't want to trouble her with what bothered him. It was something he'd been dealing with for years and he was used to it.

After a few moments, Obadiah idly said, "I was thinking I'd make Barry a little pike to go along with his wooden sword, I've been watchin' him play soldier and he seems to be enjoyin' it. Keeps him busy and out of trouble, too."

"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Anna asked. "He might stab himself with it or hurt Bridget."

"I'm not going to make the top pointy like a real one," he assured her. "I'll carve it out of wood and make sure the tip is rounded and smoothed out 'fore I put it on a pole, see? The pole will be shorter too."

"Oh you do spoil that boy," Anna said, smiling. She knew why he did it, though. She knew Obadiah wanted to make sure Barry would have the things he'd never had as a boy.

"Believe I'll make a little cradle for Bridget's doll, too," he continued. "Make it just like the first one I made, only smaller. Can't be neglectin' her, 'cos she's a good girl."

"You're such a dear," Anna said, kissing him on the cheek. "You've turned out to be a marvellous father."

"They're my own flesh and blood and part of you besides," he replied. "How could I not want the best for them and better than what I had, eh?"

"I know, love," she said, reminded yet again of why she loved this man.

Awhile later, after Obadiah had found part of a tree branch just the right size and had begun to whittle it into the right shape for the head of a pike, he heard the children start to quarrel. He ignored it, knowing it was best that they work out their problems for themselves, but kept an eye on them to make sure it didn't get out of hand.

Anna, who'd been doing a bit of knitting while Obadiah whittled, said worriedly, "Don't you think we ought to stop them from quarrelling?'"

"No," Obadiah said. "They ain't hurting each other, so's we should let them work it out for themselves. If it gets any worse, you could call Bessie to cart them off for a nap."

Predictably, the quarrel did escalate and the children had to be packed off with Bessie for their naps. As Bessie shooed them indoors, Obadiah told Anna, "You should get you a nap, too, before Catherine gets here."

"I would like to go rest on the sofa in the front room," she admitted. "But I don't think I need to lie down for a nap. If I did, I don't think I'd be alert enough at dinner to properly entertain Aunt Catherine."

Folding up his whittling knife, Obadiah said gruffly, "I'll come in and sit with you and rub your back and feet like I did the last time you had a bellyful."

"Oh, that would be heavenly," Anna murmured, sighing in appreciative anticipation. "You give such good back rubs, too."

"I aims to please, missy," he replied. "Give me a minute to put up this wood in the stable, so's Barry don't see what I'm makin' him 'til it's done."

"Good idea," she said. "I'll just wait right here while you do that, I think."

Moments later, Anna was lying stretched out on the sofa, with her back to Obadiah, who had pulled a chair close so he could more easily rub her back. It was only a short few minutes after he'd started rubbing her back than she fell asleep. He continued to rub awhile longer, knowing that it was soothing to her, even asleep. The repetitive motions of his hands soon made Obadiah drowsy as well and he soon started dozing himself, snoring as he leaned back in his chair.

This was how Bessie found them an hour later when she went to go upstairs to check on the children.

Obadiah woke up as she moved through the room on the way to the stairs.

"What time is it?'' he demanded as the fog lifted from his mind.

"You've both been asleep for over an hour," she told him. "Lady Perkins should be here within an hour, so it might be best if you wake Mrs Hakeswill so she can get ready."

After the maid had gone up the stairs, Obadiah squeezed himself onto the side of the sofa to gently wake Anna.

"Hmm, wha-?" Her eyes fluttered open to see him looking down on her.

"We both fell asleep," he said. "Bessie said Catherine will be here in less than an hour. We'd best get ourselves ready, we should."

"Give me a moment to collect myself," she murmured.

Two hours later, the Hakeswills sat down to dinner with their guest as Bessie served the meal.'

"So, Obadiah, how did your recruitment trip go?" Catherine asked after a few minutes. "It seems a bit early for you to be home already."

"Made quota early, I did," he told her proudly. "Seems that I've not lost my touch for recruitin'."

"Apparently not," she said mildly. "I'm glad it went so well for you."

"I had to tell the officer with us what to do, every step of the way," he continued, twitching. "Bleedin' toff didn't know the first thing about recruiting, he didn't."

"You should have been the officer," Catherine said sincerely. "I'm sure you'd be a better one than many in the army.'

"Me? An officer?" Obadiah snorted at the very idea of it. "Don't need to be no officer. First off, I'm not no gentleman; I wouldn't belong with that sort. Them who get above themselves and manage to get promoted out of the ranks are never accepted by other officers, 'cos they don't fit in. It's like expectin' a bird to swim."

Noting the expression on Lady Perkins' face, he cackled, then continued, "But I likes it where I am. Sergeants run the army, make no bones about that. Good officers stays out of it and lets us sergeants handle the rankers. Bad officers try to meddle in what is none of their concern and usually rightly comes to a bad end. Good thing this lad, Hanley, is learnin' to be a good officer, respecting his sergeants, as God wanted it."

"I see," Catherine said, smiling. "But I suspect that you are the one who is really in charge of the recruiting party, nonetheless."

"That's exactly right," he said, beaming at her. "You understands how it works, you do."

Turning to her niece, Catherine asked, "You'd told me you were going to ask Obadiah for some suggestions on what to name the new baby. Time is getting ever closer, you know."

"I meant to do it last night," Anna said. "But I was distracted and completely forgot to ask!"

Catherine didn't miss the exchange between the couple, with Anna blushing furiously and Obadiah giving her a wolfish grin. The older woman smiled to herself, remembering how it was with her and Archibald when they were younger.

Delicately clearing her throat, Catherine asked, "So, do either of you have any ideas for baby names now?"

"I'm thinking it would be nice to name a girl Catherine, after you," Obadiah told her.

"Oh, I would be so honoured,"' Catherine said, overcome, as she dabbed gently at her eyes with her handkerchief. After a moment, she asked, "What about a boy?"

"Neither one of us has been able to think of a boy's name yet that we both like," Anna admitted.

"Hmm, let me see," Catherine said, frowning in concentration. "I've got it! How about Richard? That was my father's name."

Inhaling sharply, Anna's eyes flew to Obadiah, who was choking on his food, eyes bugged out from just hearing the name of his fervently hated enemy.

As Anna patted him on the back to dislodge the inhaled food, Catherine looked on in distress. "Oh, dear, did I say something wrong?" she asked after Obadiah had collected himself.

"Not your fault, it ain't," Obadiah assured her. "How was you to know that Richard is the name of my worst enemy in the army?"

"I'm sorry," she said, smiling hopefully. "So, we'll need to think of a better name, then."

"My grandfather's name was William," Anna mused aloud. "That name goes well with Hakeswill, I think."

"Much better, missy," Obadiah agreed. "I can live with that. William for a boy, Catherine for a girl."

"I'm glad that's settled, then," the older woman said. "Did Anna tell you that I took her to visit her mother's grave? We brought flowers and it was a quite comforting for Anna. We also later visited the church and the village."

"We didn't get to that, either," Anna said, blushing again.

"It's good you got to go visit your mother's grave," Obadiah said, his tone of voice now thoughtful. "I've been thinking I should go visit my own dear mother's grave when we recruit up north. I ain't seen it since I buggered off from home as a boy."

Remembering the look on his face when he'd been ruminating earlier, Anna quietly told him, "I think you should do it. It would be good for you to visit her grave - it might give you a bit of closure."

"I agree," Catherine said. "It's a fine idea."

Conversation turned to other topics then, but Obadiah's mind wasn't on it. His mind kept returning to the past and his plan to visit his mother's grave. It was something he was determined to do at the earliest opportunity.


	30. Confronting the Demons of the Past

**_Author's note - _**_This chapter contains two depictions of non-consensual sex. Though neither scene is very explicit, some might wish to be warned of them in advance._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Over the next few weeks, the Hakeswill family slowly settled into the routine of Obadiah's recruiting schedule. He would either be picked up by the rest of group or he would ride out to meet them at a pre-arranged location at the start of each new recruiting foray. He'd be gone one and a half to two weeks on each foray, after which time he'd return home to spend a week to ten days with his family.

The group continued to consistently make their recruitment quotas, using the tried-and-true methods Hakeswill had outlined to Lt. Hanley on their first time out. Hanley, for his part, left the entire job in the able command of Obadiah Hakeswill, which left him more time for gaming and drinking. Newkirk continued to become a better thief under the tutelage of his mentor, with Hakeswill participating when the conditions were right. Obadiah came home each time with varying amounts of money to sock away in the family nest egg.

With each successive foray, the recruiting party moved ever northward, closer to where Obadiah Hakeswill had been born and spent his mostly grim childhood. Soon, the recruiting party's work would bring them close enough for Obadiah to slip away to visit the town. He had no intention of doing any recruiting within the village, however, as he preferred to keep his private business private.

Anna Hakeswill, likewise, had been keeping busy as the time for her confinement approached. She'd gone with Aunt Catherine to the church several times to work with the other ladies there with providing alms for the poor. Now that she was so close to giving birth, her duties consisted largely of knitting stockings, hats, scarves, and mittens to give in anticipation of the winter ahead. Obadiah had forbidden her to go visiting sick parishioners, so she helped in other ways she could be of use.

The young mother had also started attending church on the Sundays when Obadiah was away, more out of a desire for fellowship, rather than any real feelings of piety. They were part of this community now, and there was no easier place to meet good people than attending the village church.

She had also spent more time getting ready for the new baby; freshening up the baby clothes that Barry and Bridget had used, plus making more new clothes to supplement. Her aunt had given her a few new baby outfits, but Anna preferred to make most of it herself. Obadiah had brought the baby cradle down from the attic before he'd left this last time, and Anna had Bessie to polish it up before placing it in the tower room in anticipation of the new baby's arrival.

Barry and Bridget adjusted to the recruiting routine faster than their mother did, as is often the case with children, who are typically more resilient than adults. They missed their father when he was gone, but they no longer spent time looking up the lane watching for his return, either, confident of his eventual return. Noticing their mother's increasing preparations for the new baby, much of their attention was now focused on the impending new arrival, instead.

On one afternoon, their mother had hosted a meeting of the church's Ladies' Aid Society at their home, which had brought them in contact with other children their age for the first time since leaving India. There had been two boys Barry's age, and one little girl around Bridget's age. The boys had been impressed with Barry's soldier outfit and accessories and they'd played at being soldiers for the entire duration of their mothers' meeting, while the girls had sat nearby with their dolls. It was the first of what would become many happy days for the children, as they made new friends.

Life at the Gatekeeper's Lodge was good, indeed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Obadiah Hakeswill knew that the time had finally arrived to go visit his mother's grave; to return to his home village of Maltby for the first time since he'd left it as a boy, running for his life. The recruitment party was headed for Rotherham, in Yorkshire, which was only seven miles from Obadiah's home village. Because the group would be in Rotherham for more than a week, he intended to use the Sunday to slip away from the rest of the party to go to Maltby, as it was meant to be a day of rest. Hanley would be sleeping off the effects of the previous night's debauchery, with Norris and Newkirk happy enough to be left to their own devices for a day.

The wily sergeant went to bed early on Saturday night, telling his companions that he had a headache. No one questioned him, as they'd all had a hectic week signing up recruits who were tired of the heavy work in Rotherham's cannon factory. After he'd penned a short note to Anna, he promptly fell asleep.

Rising before the sun was up the next morning, Obadiah hurriedly dressed in civilian clothes, not wanting to attract attention while in Maltby. He'd not brought his best clothes, since there weren't any posh types in the village. He'd thought it better to bring a plainer suit made from broadcloth, which would make him appear to be a shopkeeper of some sort.

After eating a quick breakfast and taking some food along to eat later, he went to the inn's stable for his horse and was soon on his way.

He did not stay on the main road, but instead cut through the woods and fields, essentially taking the same route on horseback that he'd done in reverse on foot so many years earlier. When the sun had completely risen, it proved to be a cold and overcast day, which perfectly suited the sergeant's mood. As the horse ate up the miles, Obadiah's thoughts travelled back in time.

Obadiah and his mother, Biddy Hakeswill, had lived in two rooms in the parish church undercroft as far back as he could remember. The old vicar, Thomas Stebbins, had taken pity on the young unwed mother and had given her the rooms so she'd have a place to raise her child in exchange for being the church's cleaning lady. This had worked well for two years, with the church being a haven for the young mother. It was a place to be safe from those who considered her to be nothing better than a whore because she'd been gang raped and had borne a child out of wedlock.

Unfortunately, the old vicar had died when Obadiah was only two, And the new vicar assigned to the church was not a compassionate man. Ebenezer Briggs would have put the bint out, along with her foul bastard son without a second thought, if his wife hadn't spoken up and pleaded with him to let them stay. After all, the church did need a cleaning lady.

Patricia Briggs had been an invalid, having had a mild stroke after their daughter, Dorcas, had been born, a year before Obadiah Hakeswill. She remained housebound most of the time, with only a cook and a maid-of-all-work to help her, so she had never been able to help the Hakeswills much, other than to assure their continued lodging.

Because of his wife's delicate health, the vicar had taken to forcing Biddy Hakeswill to slake his pent-up lust every so often when the celibacy became too much to bear, telling her he'd put her out if she didn't submit. He always blamed Biddy for such infidelities, swearing that she'd purposely seduced him. More often that not, he'd beat her afterwards as a punishment for "enticing him to sin". And, without fail, each time he violated Biddy Hakeswill, he'd give a sermon the following Sunday about sexual sin, warning the congregation about "lascivious women".

As he continued to ride ever close to Maltby, Obadiah remembered one time, when he was about six years old, hearing a loud thump in the night that had awakened him out of a sound sleep. He'd slipped quietly out of the alcove where he slept and crept silently to the bedroom door, which had been cracked open.

"_I'll teach you not to tempt me to sin, you filthy pox-ridden whore," Ebenezer Briggs roared, as Obadiah peeked inside the room. His mother was shoved, face first, hard against a wall, with her petticoats up around her waist, as the vicar stood directly behind her, his breeches down around his ankles._

_Obadiah couldn't understand why the vicar had his breeches down, showing his bare bum, while he kept shoving himself at his mother's backside. Before he could figure it out, the vicar slapped her head so hard that it bounced off the wall, causing Biddy to whimper in pain._

_The little boy had seen enough. No one hurt his Mama and got away with it! He charged into the room on his short legs, determined to save her from the mean old vicar. He picked up a broom leaning against the wall and smartly smacked the vicar in the arse with it._

"_Don't you hurt my Mama!" he cried as he swung the broom, trying to sound as loud as he could._

_The vicar reacted immediately, sending a huge right fist crashing into Obadiah's face, breaking his nose and sending him flying across the room where he bounced off the wall and slid to the ground, out cold._

"_That'll teach the filthy little bastard to meddle into what doesn't concern him," Briggs muttered as he returned to what he was doing. Punching Biddy again, he threatened, "You let your stinking whelp do that again and I swear to you I'll kill him." Pulling her hair, he demanded, "You hear me, whore? He'd best keep his mouth shut about what he saw or you'll both regret it, I promise you that."_

"_Y-yes, sir," Biddy managed, too afraid to say anything else. _

_A short time later, after the vicar had finished up and left, Biddy rushed over to where Obadiah was still crumpled on the floor, blood running down his chin._

_Obadiah slowly regained consciousness as he felt his mother's gentle hands upon him, cleaning the blood from his face._

"_Oh, my poor little man," she crooned, cradling him._

"_Mama," he croaked. "Is he gone?'_

"_Yes, love," she assured him. "But you needs to promise me never to interfere like that again."_

"_He was hurtin' you, Mama, he was," Obadiah said. "Not going to let no one hurt you, I won't."_

"_I loves you for wantin' to help me, I do," Biddy said sorrowfully, stroking her son's auburn hair. "But he'll hurt us both even worse, if you does it again, he will. And I wants you to stay out of his way as much as you can, so's he don't have no reason to hit you again."_

"_Why does he hate us so much?" Obadiah asked in confusion. "You and me never did nothin' to him."_

"_I don't know, Obi," she answered, using his nickname. "But God loves you, he does, and so do I. He looks after us, see, even if the vicar don't."_

"_And I loves you, too, Mama," he said fiercely. "But I wants to take care of you."_

"_Promise me you'll do as I say," she repeated. "I know it don't make no sense what he does, but I have to let him have his way with me, 'cos he'll hurt us worse if I don't, and then he'd put us out."_

"_All right, Mama," Obadiah said uneasily, as his mother took him back to bed and tucked him in, where he remained awake for a long time seething with the helpless feeling of being unable to protect his beloved mother. He wished he was big so he could kill the vicar for hurting her._

As his mind returned to the present, Obadiah twitched several times as the vivid memory faded back into his mind. Pressing his lips together tightly, he vowed to do now what he wanted to do as a boy, if he found the filthy bastard still alive. The bleedin' bugger would be at least seventy now, so it was possible he'd still be alive, though Obadiah didn't hold out much hope of that.

The rawboned sergeant stopped a short time later to allow the horse to get a drink from a nearby stream and for him stretch his legs for a bit. As he watched the animal placidly drinking his fill of water, the sergeant's mind began to wander again.

He recalled there being a series of men who came around to see his mother, throughout most of his childhood. Each time, Biddy would get her hopes up that this would be the man who would marry her and finally love her and her son. She never consciously realized that these men came to see her only because of her reputation as the town whore. At one point, the Briggs' cook had advised her that she ought to withhold her sexual favours until she had a ring on her finger, but the one time she'd tried that, the man beat her and took what he wanted, anyway. None of these men stayed around for very long and none of them had any interest in being a father figure for Obadiah.

Biddy had ended up with a bellyful a few times, but always miscarried, which was not surprising considering the abuse she suffered at the hands of men, particularly the vicar, combined with the long hours and heavy work she was expected to do to earn her keep.

As Obadiah mounted his horse and was on his way once more, his thoughts turned to how he learned to read. About two years after the incident where the vicar had broken his nose, he'd been sitting outside under a tree on the church grounds while his mother was hard at work cleaning the church sanctuary for the next Sunday service. He usually helped her with the work, but he'd just recovered from a bad cold and she'd told him to take it easy for that day.

This had been a time when the vicar's wife had been feeling somewhat better and had taken to spending some time outdoors each day with Dorcas, her daughter. Mrs Briggs often gave Dorcas her lessons at a table in the back yard of the vicar's house, which was directly behind the church.

_Obadiah heard voices on the other side of a small grove of trees separating the churchyard from the vicar's property. He moved a bit closer to eavesdrop, while remaining concealed behind a bush, once he'd spotted the vicar's wife and daughter sitting at the table._

_Hearing rustling in the bushes, Mrs Briggs looked up and saw Obadiah watching them, despite his attempts at stealth._

"_Obadiah?" Mrs Briggs called. "It's all right. You can come out."_

_He hesitantly came forward to stand by the vicar's wife. "Didn't mean no harm," he mumbled. "Just wanted to watch, I did."_

"_I know you didn't," she said kindly. "I was just giving Dorcas her reading lesson. Would you like to join us?"_

"_Don't know how to read, Mrs Briggs," he said, hanging his head. "Never learned, I didn't."_

"_Would you like to learn?" she asked. "I can teach you how, along with writing and ciphering, if you like. I give Dorcas lessons every day and you are quite welcome to join us."_

"_I'd like that ever so much," he said dubiously. "But I don't think the vicar would like that none at all, he wouldn't."_

"_Let me worry about the vicar," she told him confidently. "I promise you that it will be all right."_

Patricia Briggs had been true to her word, and despite the vicar's disapproval, Obadiah had been given lessons for two years, proving to be an able student, soaking up knowledge like a sponge. Unfortunately, Mrs Briggs had another stroke when Obadiah was ten, so that was the end of his schooling. But it had been enough to make him literate. Obadiah remembered how proud his mother had been to have a son who could read. The crusty sergeant's eyes misted over for a long moment as he recalled just how proud his mother had been of him.

Riding on, Obadiah reached the outskirts of Maltby about an hour and a half later. Fortunately for him, the church and its cemetery were on the edge of town, bordering the forest from which he approached, with a river on his left which continued on in front of the cemetery and church property. Dismounting well away from the edge of the forest, he pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. Two pm - church would have let out by now, which would give him privacy in the cemetery.

Moving closer on foot, he tied his horse to a tree at the edge of the forest, before stepping cautiously into the cemetery. Seeing no one about on the church grounds, he quickly found his mother's tombstone, located close to the forest's edge.

_Biddy Hakeswill  
Beloved mother  
1752-1781_

Another tombstone, just to the right read:

_Peter Hakeswill  
1748 - 1794_

Peter Hakeswill had been Biddy's brother, who had taken charge of Obadiah after Biddy had died. He'd moved in with his young nephew after her funeral, taking over Biddy's job as church custodian. Though Obadiah had not gotten along very well with his uncle, he was now still grateful to the man for cutting him down and helping him to bugger off after he'd been hanged.

Next to his uncle's grave was that of his grandparents, Nehemiah and Fanny Hakeswill, neither of whom he'd ever met, as they'd cut off all contact with Biddy after she'd become pregnant with him.

Standing in front of his mother's grave, he took off his hat as he looked down at the tombstone.

"It's me, Mama, your Obadiah," he murmured, twitching, as his eyes began to tear up. "I knows it's been a long time since I've come to see you, but I couldn't come back 'til now." Pausing to compose himself, he continued, "Nobody ever expected me to amount to nothin', but I did, Mama. I'm a sergeant in the army and I have a wife and children who loves me just as much as you did. I miss you so much, I do, and wish you was here so's I could take care of you just like you took care of me. You'd love my little 'uns, Mama, and I knows they'd have loved you. I got me a good life now, Mama. I just wishes you was here, too."

Obadiah, with tears flowing freely now, allowed his mind to wander to the time of his mother's death. She'd finally been able to bring another baby to full-term, but Obadiah's half-brother had been stillborn. Weak from all the years of abuse and overwork, that when she began to hemhorrage after giving birth, she didn't have a chance of survival.

"_Obadiah," she said weakly as he sat at her bedside. "I hates to leave you now, but I knows you're a tough 'un."_

"_Don't leave me, Mama," he cried, clasping her hand tightly. "I needs you, I do. Nobody cares about me, 'cept you, they don't. I loves you, Mama."_

"_I loves you, too, Obi," she rasped. "But you're a born survivor, you are, and I knows you'll be all right. You has to look out for yourself now and don't let no one run over you, 'cos they will if you let them." _

"_Oh, Mama," he whimpered, the tears heavier now. "Please don't go!"_

"_I'm sorry I wasn't able to give a good life," she said. "I wanted everything for you, I did. But I'll be watchin' over you and protectin' you from heaven, I will, just you wait and see."_

She'd died a few moments later, leaving eleven year old Obadiah devastated. How he got through the next few months, he could not remember. He'd consoled himself somewhat with taking care of the church cat, who kept the church rodent-free, along with her kittens.

Patricia Briggs died next, not long after Biddy Hakeswill. Obadiah and Dorcas sometimes took walks together, commiserating in their mutual grief. As the months went by, Dorcas became increasingly fearful and withdrawn, until Obadiah rarely saw her any longer. Though perplexed, he didn't have time to wonder about it, as he was now helping his Uncle Pete full time with the custodian's job.

_Late one afternoon about a year after his mother died, Obadiah headed to the tool shed to get the pruning shears to trim the hedges around the church. As he went about his work, he passed by the open window of the vicar's office. Just as he'd passed the window, he heard a muffled thump, then heard Dorcas cry out, "Daddy, please don't hurt me any more. It's a sin what you're doing!"_

"_The Bible says that children must obey their fathers," the vicar rasped out, accompanied by more thumping. "You're a sinful girl, letting that filthy Hakeswill boy roger you, and I'm going to get the sin out of you the best way I know how!"_

_Obadiah hoisted himself up by the window ledge to find a horrifying sight. Dorcas was spread out over the desk with her father looming over her in much the same way as when Obadiah had witnessed what he'd done to his mother years before. The difference was that now, he was old enough to know what was happening and that a man raping his own daughter was an especially foul thing._

_He was so surprised by what he saw that he lost his grip on the ledge and fell to the ground with a loud thump. As soon as he'd collected his wits, Obadiah ran away, afraid of what the vicar might do to him if he found out that Obadiah had seen him._

_The twelve year old boy had been so intent on getting away that he never noticed the vicar looking out the window, watching his every movement._

_The next day, as he was finishing trimming the hedges, he was accosted by the vicar, accompanied by the village constable._

"_Here's your thief, Constable!" Briggs said unctuously. "I saw him leading a sheep down the stairs to hide him in the undercroft!"_

_Looking blankly at the two men, Obadiah asked, "What sheep? I didn't see no sheep. Been workin' here all morning, I have."_

_The vicar hustled him downstairs, followed by the constable, where they, predictably, found a live sheep in Obadiah's quarters._

"_That's Miller's sheep, all right," the constable grunted._

"_I didn't steal no sheep!" Obadiah insisted, totally confused._

"_A likely story!," the constable said. "You'll hang for this, you stinkin' urchin."_

_As the constable dragged him away, Obadiah saw an evil grin on the vicar's face and instantly realized he'd been set up to keep him from exposing the vicar's dirty, dark secret._

"_The vicar stole the sheep!" Obadiah exclaimed. "He did it 'cos I caught him rapin' Dorcas, the filthy sod. He raped my mother when she was still here, too, he did!"_

"_Shame on you," the constable shot back, not believing a word of it. "Trying to blame your own crime on a man of God and accusing him of something even more foul. Going to hell is what you'll be doing come morning. I always said the Hakeswills were no good and here's the proof."_

_Just as the constable had promised, Obadiah was hanged the very next day, along with some other unfortunate prisoners from the jail. But Obadiah knew that his mother had kept her promise to look out for him from heaven when heavy rains came and scattered the crowd long enough for his Uncle Pete to cut him down and help him to get away. As he ran away from Maltby later that evening, Obadiah knew he would be all right - if he could survive a hanging, he could survive anything. _

As he continued to brood in front of his mother's tombstone, with the sky darkening for an imminent rain storm, Obadiah heard steps behind him. He turned to find himself staring into the much older eyes of the man he hated most in all the world - the vicar of his childhood, Ebenezer Briggs.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_**Author's notes**: Rotherham did have a cannon factory at the time Obadiah would have visited. Maltby is indeed seven miles from Rotherham and had about 500 inhabitants at the beginning of the 19th century._

_An "undercroft" was essentially the church's basement._


	31. Settling An Old Score

Obadiah Hakeswill's eyes narrowed in revulsion as he beheld the man who had abused his mother, ruined his childhood, and had very nearly cost him his life.

"Can I help you?" Ebenezer Briggs rasped, not recognizing Obadiah. "I'm the sexton here - used to be the vicar, before I got too old for it." Pausing to choke out a hacking cough, he scrutinized the younger man carefully, frowning in confusion. "Don't believe I've ever seen you before in these parts, though it seems I should know you. You visiting someone in Maltby, are you?"

"Oh, my word, says he don't know me, he does," Obadiah said, twitching, then laughed harshly. "Imagine that! Forgettin' the boy you nearly killed tryin' to cover up your own foul crime."

Stepping closer to the old man with sheer malevolence radiating from him, Obadiah pulled his collar down to reveal the ugly hanging scar to the old man. "Remember now, you filthy bleedin' sod?'

"Hakeswill!" the old vicar spat contemptuously. "You stinkin' piece of gutter scum! I had you hanged but good, but you were too stupid to die! I swear to you that if your pox-ridden whore of a mother had still been alive, I'd have had her hanged right beside you, too. Bad blood, the both of you, spawn of the Devil himself."

"Fine one to talk, you are, rapin' your own flesh and blood," Obadiah snorted, with a shuddering twitch. "I've done some things in my life, but I ain't never laid a hand on my own flesh and blood."

Now, toe to toe with the elderly man, he punched him hard in the nose, grinning when he heard the satisfying crunch of it being broken. "Hurts, don't it?'

"That was for my mother," Hakeswill told him coldly. "I don't want to hear you call her a whore no more. She wasn't no whore - she did what she had to do to make sure I had a home. Practically a saint, she was, lookin' out for me and takin' care of me the best she could, despite you takin' advantage of her. You ain't fit to eat what she put into a jakes pot, see?"

"I ought to kill you now and finish the job I started all those years ago," the old man sneered. "You aren't anything but worthless piece of offal, of no use to anyone."

"You can try, old man," Obadiah sneered, cackling. "But you can't kill me, 'cos I cannot die. I've been shot at in battle, I've been thrown in with tigers and snakes, and I've had buggers stick me with knives, but I don't die, 'cos my dear mother looks after me from heaven just as she said she would on her deathbed."

"You're mad!" Ebenezer Briggs exclaimed. "Did you escape from an insane asylum? Seems a fitting place for a misbegotten bastard of Biddy Hakeswill's."

"Sly as a fox, I am," he shot back, twitching again. "And listen to you nattering on about me bein' of no use to no one! Funny, that is. I'm a sergeant in the army and I got me a wife and children who loves me, I do, no thanks to you."

"So, you got a couple of sin-begotten bastards off a pox-ridden camp whore," Briggs sneered, turning, reading to walk away from Obadiah Hakeswill and shake the dust off his feet. "No decent woman would have anything to do with a pile of excrement such as yourself."

"Time now for you to pay the piper, it is," the younger man said in a deceptively soft tone of voice, pulling a length of rope out of his pocket. Quick as a cat as he moved up behind the old man, Obadiah whipped the rope over the ex-vicar's neck and pulled it tight.

As the older man choked and pulled uselessly at the rope to get it off him, Obadiah crooned in his ear. "This is for what you done to my mother, to me, to Dorcas, and devil knows who else."

Jerking the rope ever tighter as Briggs struggled to breathe, he calmly continued, "As the Bible says, an eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth. You ain't never goin' to hurt no one, no more, mark my words."

After a few minutes, the old man stopped struggling, the air reeking with the smell of urine and feces the old vicar released as he died. Removing the rope from around his neck, Obadiah let the body fall to the ground with a thud. He noted in grim satisfaction that the former vicar now sported a livid purple rope burn to match his own.

Taking a quick look at his surroundings, the sergeant determined that he'd not been observed killing Ebenezer Briggs. Going back to his horse, he pulled out a large burlap bag and a longer rope from his pack. He returned to the body and dragged it close to the river's edge ,which wasn't that hard because the clergyman had lost quite a bit of weight in his old age.

On the river bank, Obadiah quickly filled the bag with the largest rocks and stones he could find, after going through the old man's pockets and divesting him of the few coins he had. Once it was full, he tied the bag shut and wrapped the other end around the vicar's neck, tying it securely. That being done, he shoved at the body with his booted foot until it rolled over into the river, sinking immediately, weighted down by the bag of rocks. The current was moving fairly swiftly, which Hakeswill hoped would move the corpse downstream.

His task complete, Obadiah turned to leave, stopping one last time at his mother's grave to say goodbye.

"I done took care of the bastard, Mother," he murmured, looking down at the stone. "I did for you now what I couldn't do then. Now you can rest easy, knowing I sent the filthy bugger to hell where he belongs." Twitching briefly, he added, "I loves you, Mother, and I'll never forget you."

Wiping a tear from his eye, he hurried to his horse to lead him quickly under tree cover. Now that he'd avenged his mother, he wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of Maltby and go home to Anna and the little ones. That was his life now.

The rain began to fall in torrents as he mounted up and rode away from the village he'd been born and raised in, but Obadiah didn't care. He knew the rain was a blessing, as it would wipe away any drag marks he'd made moving the corpse to the river's edge.

Fortunately, it rained for only fifteen minutes; just enough time for Hakeswill to make a speedy departure from Maltby without being observed. As he rode the seven miles back to Rotherham, his heart was considerably lighter than it had been that morning riding in the opposite direction.

It was nearly dusk before Obadiah arrived back in Rotherham. His clothes had mostly dried by the time he'd put the horse back in the stable for the night, but he was eager to change his clothes as he slipped up the back stairs to his room. Encountering no one on the stairs or in the hall, he quickly changed clothes, then went down the main stairs for his supper.

He found Lt. Hanley at a table in a back corner, playing cards with a couple of the new recruits. Newkirk and Norris were sitting at another table nearby. The lieutenant, half drunk and fully intent on his gambling, paid Hakeswill no mind as he entered the room and took a seat with the other two men.

Giving Obadiah a quizzical look, Norris asked, "Where have you been all day, Hakeswill? You didn't come down for lunch."

"Can't say as it's any of your business, Norris," Obadiah cackled, winking at the two men. "Just had me something urgent that needed taking care of, I did, see?"

Newkirk chortled, but Norris frowned at him, with both men thinking he'd spent the day rogering a whore. This is what Obadiah meant for them to think, as that was preferable to them having the slightest clue of where he'd really been that day. He didn't think anyone would ever find the vicar's corpse, considering how well he'd weighted it down, but there was always a possibility and Obadiah wanted to make sure there was no way anyone could connect him to the murder. He'd not lasted in the army as long as he had by being careless, after all.

At this moment, the tavern maid appeared with steaming plates for Newkirk and Norris. She gave Sergeant Hakeswill a cockeyed look and said, "You wasn't here when I took their order. What'll you be havin', Sarge?"

"Give me what them two buggers is having," Obadiah told her affably, twitching. "And bring me some ale, too."

After the serving girl had brought the sergeant his order and the three men were enjoying their meal, Obadiah looked at young Newkirk with a critical eye. "What did you do today, Newkirk? Lay about in bed all day, eh?"

"Part of the day I did,' Newkirk said. "But the other part I walked around town to see what I could see, I did."

He gave the sergeant a pointed look, which Obadiah acknowledged with a slight nod, covering it up with a twitch. He'd told the drummer boy the day before to go out and see what he could steal in the town. Before the group left to head home the next day, he'd shake Newkirk down to see what he'd ended up with.

Nearly a half hour later, Hakeswill stretched and yawned. "Believe I'm going to go on up to bed. We'll be leaving early in the morning, so's I needs me a good night's sleep, I do."

"Sounds like a good idea," Norris said. "I think I'll turn in, too."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Three hours after Obadiah Hakeswill had left Maltby, the current vicar's wife found her husband in his office having a cup' of tea'.

"Have you seen Mr Briggs?" Miranda Carter asked her husband. "I haven't seen him since services concluded and he was supposed to help me plant a rose bush this afternoon.

"I've not seen him, either," Edwin Carter replied, lightly. "But, then again, I've not been looking for him."

"I can't imagine where he could be," she persisted, frowning.

"Did you try his cottage?" he asked in a bored tone. "Perhaps he had himself a nap. He is getting on in age, you know."

Upon his retirement a few years earlier, Ebenezer Briggs had been presented with a small cottage to live in, which was on the other side of the vicarage. He'd taken on a part time position as sexton with the church shortly after that, since he discovered that idleness was not to his liking.

"That's the first place I looked," she shot back, exasperated. "It looked as if he'd not been there since this morning."

"I'd not worry overmuch about it," Edwin said. "He'll no doubt turn up promptly as soon as you put dinner on the table. I've never seen the man miss a meal yet." The former vicar had been taking all his meals with the Carters since retiring.

"You're probably right," she conceded. "And with the rain, perhaps he thought it best to wait on planting the rose bush."

When Briggs didn't show up for dinner, Mrs Carter said, "I'm rather concerned. It's not like him to miss dinner."

"Perhaps he took a walk into the village and decided to eat at the pub," Edwin Carter speculated. "He's been known to do that from time to time, you know."

"I still think something is wrong and that you ought to go tell the constable he's missing," she insisted.

"There's not much the constable can do now that it's dark," her husband pointed out. "Tell you what, if he's not back by morning, I'll go see the constable then."

"All right," she replied uneasily.

When Ebenezer Briggs had not returned the next morning, Edwin Carter went to report him missing to the constable. The constable immediately organized a search party, which fanned out to all the areas immediately surrounding Maltby, but no trace of Ebenezer Briggs was ever found.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Two days after Obadiah had left home on his latest recruitment drive, the midwife came by the Gatekeeper's Lodge to examine Anna, as her time was nearly at hand.

"Well, I'd say you should have this baby before the week is out, Mrs Hakeswill," the midwife told her after finishing the examination. "Everything is looking perfectly normal."

"That is good news," Anna replied. "I'm quite ready to have it done and over with."

"I'm sure you will be," the midwife replied. "Christmas is nearly upon us and I'm sure you'd like to have it over with by then."

"I just hope my husband will make it home before the baby comes," Anna said. "He's away on business right now, but should be back in a week or so."

"Oh, I hope so, too!" the other woman said. "Most men say they don't want nothing to do with birthing, but from my experience, most of them want to be nearby to see the new babe as soon as it's born."

"You're quite right," Anna said. "My husband was most eager to hold both of our other children as soon as they were born. And the circumstances were most primitive for their births, as we were stationed in India at the time. I'll be glad to give birth this time on good English soil, that's for sure."

"I must go now, but will be awaiting your summons when the time comes, Mrs Hakeswill," the midwife said.

"Thank you," Anna replied. "Bessie will show you out."

Later that same day, Lady Perkins came to have tea with Anna. The older woman, knowing that Anna's time was nearly upon her, had checked with her every day after Obadiah had left on his latest recruitment foray.

After Bessie had served the tea and left, Anna told her aunt, "The midwife came today and she thinks I'll be delivering within a week and that everything looks well."

"It's time for me to move in with you, I think," Catherine said. "I already have a bag packed."

"I truly appreciate this," Anna said. "I'll feel more at ease knowing you're here."

"There is nowhere I'd rather be right now than preparing to greet my new niece or nephew," the older woman assured her. "I'll also have a horse brought down, so Bessie can go ride for the midwife when the time comes."

"I just hope and pray Obadiah will make it home in time to be here when the baby is born," Anna said, frowning in concern. "He was there for the other two children and almost had to deliver Bridget himself, because the midwife did not arrive until I'd nearly given birth."

"I'm sure he'll try his best to be here," Catherine noted. "He is quite the devoted father, I must say."

"He told me that he was going to try to visit his mother's grave on this trip," Anna said. "The town they planned to recruit in is only seven miles from his home village."

"I certainly hope he was able to," her aunt said. "I know it would be of great comfort for him."

The next few days were uneventful ones at the Gatekeeper's Lodge. Anna became more apprehensive as the days passed with neither Obadiah nor the baby making their appearances. It was a good thing that her aunt was in residence, as she was able to divert the expectant mother with conversation.

A note from Obadiah arrived on the following Monday, telling Anna that they'd met their quota and that he'd be starting for home on Monday. He added that he missed her and hoped he'd be there in time for the baby's birth.

"There, you see?" Catherine said when Anna showed her the letter, trying not to cringe at Obadiah's atrocious handwriting, reminding herself that at least one could read what he'd written. "He's on his way already."

But when Anna recognized the early signs of impending labour the next day, Obadiah still had not turned up. When her water broke right after the evening meal, Catherine sent Bessie to get the midwife.

"Let's get you into bed," the older woman said solicitously after Bessie had left. "Let me help you up the stairs."

Anna was soon settled in bed wearing her oldest shift. The midwife arrived about a half hour later, having ridden double with Bessie to save time.

After a quick examination, the midwife said, "You have some time to go yet, but I guarantee that baby will be here before morning, just you wait and see."

Catherine, who had pulled up a chair to sit by Anna's bedside, patted her hand and murmured, "Maybe Obadiah will get home in time, after all."

"Maybe."

After bringing the midwife back to the house, Bessie took charge of the children and put them to bed, so they'd not be underfoot while their mother was in labour. After getting them to sleep, she returned to the master bedroom for further instructions.

"The wee ones are fast asleep, Mrs Hakeswill," Bessie reported. "What do you need me to do now?"

"Mrs Hakeswill is fine for now," Lady Perkins replied. "You might want to keep a watch out for Sergeant Hakeswill. It's possible he may return tonight and if he does, he needs to know right away that Mrs Hakeswill is in labour."

"Yes, Lady Perkins." the maid said, dipping slightly in an abbreviated curtsey.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Obadiah Hakeswill and the rest of the recruiting party left Rotherham shortly after dawn on Monday morning. Lt. Hanley had still been half drunk that morning, so Obadiah had assigned Norris to chivvy him along to get him going.

Knowing that Anna was due to give birth any day now, Obadiah had a special reason to want to leave and be on their way with all due haste. Fortunately, the group made good time heading south with the recruits.

As they stopped for the night at a roadside inn, Lt Hanley called Obadiah aside as Sergeant Norris was seeing to the accommodations.

"Sergeant Hakeswill, why don't you just get a few hours of sleep and go on home to your wife," Hanley told him. "The three of us can get these recruits to the training camp just fine on our own. You need to hurry home before your child is born."

Looking at the younger man in startled gratitude, Obadiah said, "I appreciates it, sir, I do. I have been concerned about getting' home in time to my Anna."

"You've done a fine job with the recruitment drives," Hanley said. "I don't think I could have done it without you. This is my way of saying thank you."

"Thank you again, sir," Hakeswill said sincerely, twitching. "I won't forget it."

Obadiah was up before dawn the next morning and after eating breakfast and getting some food to eat along the way, he headed south as fast as the horse could manage, taking all the shortcuts he knew of.

Stopping only briefly a few times to feed and water the horse, and to attend to his own bodily functions, Obadiah finally reached the Perkins estate two hours from midnight on Tuesday night.

As his tired horse cantered down the lane to the Gatekeeper's Lodge, Obadiah saw an agitated looking Bessie standing in front of the house waiting for him as he approached.

"Sergeant Hakeswill!" Bessie called out, running up to him as he dismounted. "Come quick! Mrs Hakeswill is in labour and she's been calling for you!"

"Seems like I got here just in time, I did," Obadiah said, pleased with himself. Handing Bessie the reins, he said, "Go take Trouble to the shed and unsaddle him. Give him some extra food, 'cos he did a good job getting me home on time."'

Not waiting for her reply, he opened the front door and hurried to the stairway. Halfway up, he heard the sudden wail of a newborn baby. Stumbling up the rest of the way, he clattered down the hall to the bedroom and threw open the door.

Anna, having heard the commotion on the stairs, looked up as he entered the room. "Oh, Obadiah, you're home! I knew you'd make it in time!"

"'Course I did," he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Nothing could have kept me from you. Got here quick as I could, I did."

Catherine standing to his side, smiled widely as she showed him the new baby in her arms. "It's a boy!"


	32. A Serious Conversatoin

'A big 'un, he is," Obadiah Hakeswill said proudly as he held his second son for the first time. "Might be bigger yet than Barabbas was when he was born. No doubt 'cos he was born on English soil, eh?"

"Nine pounds or a bit more, I'd wager," the midwife opined as she continued to attend to Anna. "I've delivered plenty o' babies in my day and he's a fine healthy boy, Sergeant."

"He is quite the robust little fellow," Catherine agreed. "You and Anna have produced some wonderfully healthy children. You are quite fortunate."

"Bring our son here, Obadiah," Anna said, sitting up in bed. "I'm ready to nurse him for the first time."

"Right away, missy," he said, moving to gently hand the newborn to his mother. "If he's like the first two, he'll be greedy for it."

"We'll leave you two alone for awhile so you can get acquainted with your new son," Aunt Catherine said, gesturing to the door to the midwife.

"I need to examine Mrs Hakeswill again before I leave," the midwife protested.

"That will be fine," Lady Perkins said. "Just give them a bit of privacy for awhile. Why don't we go downstairs and have ourselves a nice cup of tea?"

"Don't mind if I do," the midwife replied, taking the hint.

After the two women had left the bedroom, Obadiah gazed down at his wife and new son, who was indeed nursing avidly, just as he'd predicted. The intensity of love he felt for them at this moment brought a lump to his throat. Again, he thought of his mother and how much had been denied to her in life and he was glad once again to be there to protect Anna from ever having to endure such a fate

Looking up at her husband, Anna recognized the expression on his face. "I love you, too, Obadiah," she said quietly. "I'm so glad you were able to get here in time for William's birth. I was so afraid you wouldn't."

"Hanley let me go early; told me he and the rest of 'em could get the new recruits to the training camp," he told her. "Surprised me, he did, by bein' so generous."

"I shall have to thank Lt. Hanley personally when I next see him," Anna said stoutly. "It was very thoughtful of him to do so."

"He's turning out to be a good officer," Obadiah admitted grudgingly. "Pays attention to what I tells him, he does, and respects my experience."

"As well he should." Changing the subject, Anna added, "Barry and Bridget are going to be so surprised in the morning when they wake up to see they have a new brother!"

"That they will," he agreed. "Can't wait to see their faces when they sees little Will."

"Barry told me he wanted a brother, so I imagine he'll be pleased," Anna reported. "I don't think Bridget really understood that I was having a new baby, however."

"She'll want to take care of him, just like she does with the doll I brought her," he predicted. "She's a good little mother."

"Perhaps," Anna said, smiling as she brought William up to her shoulder to burp him for the first time. "I have seen her put her doll to bed in the little cradle you made for her. She does it nearly every night."

"Glad I'll be here while you gets back on your feet," Obadiah said. "You needs to get a lot of rest for the next few days, you do."

"I'm sure I'll be up and about before too long," Anna promised him. "It seems to get a little bit easier with each child I have."

"No hurry, missy," Obadiah assured her. "Me and Catherine and Bessie will be takin' care of things for the next few days. Everything, that is, 'cept feedin' the baby." Cackling briefly, he added, "I'd best go and let the midwife finish with what she needed to do with you. Baby will probably need changing soon, too."

"I promise not to go anywhere," Anna quipped, smiling tiredly.

Obadiah went downstairs where he found Catherine and the midwife chatting over tea as they sat in the breakfast nook.

Turning his attention to the midwife, he said gruffly, "My Anna is ready for you now. We'll wait down here while you do what needs doin'. I'll send the maid up directly to help with the baby once you're done."

"Thank you kindly, Sergeant," the midwife said. "I shouldn't be very long."

"Take your time," he told her. "I've not had me nothing to eat since I've been home and I'll do that now, while you're up there."

Right after he dismissed the midwife, he rang the bell that summoned Bessie into the room.

"I needs you to bring me something to eat," the sergeant ordered. "Whatever is leftover will be fine. After you brings it, you needs to go upstairs and make yourself useful to Mrs Hakeswill with the baby."

"Yes, sir," she murmured, bobbing slightly in an abbreviated curtsey. "Right away."

A few minutes later, Bessie brought Obadiah some bread, butter, and cheese, along with another pot of tea for him to share with Lady Perkins, then left promptly to carry out her employer's orders.

"Good servant, she is," Obadiah remarked after Bessie had left. "You made good picks in hiring our servants, you did."

"I'm glad you're satisfied," Catherine said, knowing that Obadiah was thanking her in his own way.

"She and Mrs Harris have been a big help to my Anna," he continued. "I know them being here helped Anna to have an easier time bringing this latest little 'un into the world."

"Undoubtedly," Catherine agreed.

"And you've been the most help of all," Obadiah said gruffly. "Things would have been much harder when we first got here, if you'd turned us away."

"Think nothing of it, Obadiah," she said, waving her hand. "By the way, I meant to ask you if you were able to visit your mother's grave during your most recent recruiting trip?"

Obadiah pressed his lips together tightly for a brief moment at being reminded of his trip to Maltby, but otherwise showed no emotion. "That I did," he finally replied. "Got to see my mother's grave and that of my grandparents and uncle, too. I found out there ain't no Hakeswills left there no more."

"I didn't know you had an uncle," she began. "And you'd never mentioned your grandparents before."

"Never met my grandparents, I didn't," he explained. "They threw my mother out as soon as she had a bellyful of me. Never came to see me when I was a little 'un or did nothing for us." After a pause, he quickly added, "I just saw that they were dead when I went to find my mother's tombstone."

"That's too bad," Catherine said, frowning. "They certainly were the losers for not ever knowing they had a fine grandson."

"Can't miss what you never had," Obadiah said, shrugging. "Did know my uncle, though. He's the one what took charge of me when my mother died. He's the one that cut me down and saved me when I was hanged, see? Think I would have liked to have seen him, so's he could have seen how I turned out after all these years. But he was dead, too. Ten years gone, he was."

"I'm so sorry," Catherine sympathized.

"Good thing I got me my own family, then, it is," he said. "It was good for me to go back home and find all that out, so's that I know now. And to see my mother's resting place, too."

Obadiah didn't mention how he'd killed the miserable bastard of a vicar. It wasn't that he didn't trust his wife's aunt, but the fewer people who knew about it, the better. He'd tell Anna about it later, after she'd had a chance to rest, but Catherine didn't need to hear the entire story.

Yawning, he stood up and said, "I'd best be getting to bed to get me some rest."

"That's a good idea," she said. "I'm sure the baby will wake us all up early, so it's best we get as much sleep as possible."

Obadiah mounted the steps a few minutes later and found the midwife in the hall when he reached the top.

"Ah, there are you, Sergeant Hakeswill," the woman said. "Mrs Hakeswill is recovering nicely. She should be up and about within a couple of days, but in the meanwhile she should rest. I'll be back in about a week to check on her again, but if she needs me before then, just send someone after me."

"'Preciate it," Hakeswill said, already moving on to the bedroom. "Bessie will show you out, she will."

He found Anna sitting up in bed while Bessie was busily changing William. "You can go, Bessie," Obadiah told her. "But sleep upstairs tonight, in case my Anna needs you during the night, eh?"

"I'll go bring the cradle out and put it by the side of the bed, so's you can feed him easy when he wakes up, without havin' to get out of bed," Obadiah told Anna after Bessie had left. "I'll make me a pallet on the floor, 'cos you'll rest better than way."

"Oh, you don't need to do that, love," Anna said, patting the bed invitingly. "Come, get into bed. You won't disturb me."

"I knows you still got be sore and all," he insisted, twitching. "I don't mind sleepin' on the floor. I've slept in much worse places over the years."

"If you're sure," she said dubiously. "It should only be for a day or two, then I expect you to be back in bed with me where you belong."

Cackling with delight, he replied, "Just try and keep me out!"

Obadiah went into the tower room to bring out the cradle and set it up on Anna's side of the bed. She smiled as he set it down by her, with memories of their other children coming to the fore.

"I remember when you made that cradle, Anna said wistfully, as she put a loving hand on his bald head as he was still crouched down. "You worked on that at night, while I sewed baby clothes for Barry. We didn't have much, then, but they were happy times, Obadiah."

"That they were, missy," he agreed, reaching his hand up to hold hers for a long moment. "Are you ready to put little Will to bed now?"

Looking down at their newborn son, sleeping peacefully on the bed beside her, she replied, "Yes, I think all three of us could use some rest."

Obadiah kneeled by the side of the bed and carefully took the baby from Anna and gently put him in the cradle, which Bessie had earlier put linen inside of. "Safe and sound, he is," he pronounced as he stood to go to the other side of the bed to set up his pallet. After he did so, Obadiah sat on the side of the bed to remove his boots, then stripped down to just his shirt.

"Good night, missy," he said, giving Anna a quick kiss before going to the pallet. "Wake me if you needs something in the night. Bessie is sleeping upstairs tonight, so's I can get her if you needs her."

"I will," she said, yawning. "I'm sure Will will be waking soon to be fed again, so we'd better sleep while we can. Good night, Obadiah."

The baby awakened a few times during the night to be fed, but it did not disturb Obadiah - he'd slept through louder noises than that many times before. He got up once to get Bessie to change the infant, but mostly had a restful night's sleep.

Obadiah rose early the next morning to make sure the children wouldn't come bursting into their bedroom before Anna was ready to see them. He was just barely in time, as he found Barry trying to dress himself when he entered the boy's room.

"Where do you think you're hurrying off to so early in the morning, eh?" he asked Barry, twitching.

"Da!" Barry exclaimed. "When did you get home?"

"Late last night, I did," Obadiah told him. "But you didn't answer my question, boy. Why are you up so early getting ready to go somewhere?"

"Not going nowhere," the boy insisted stubbornly. "I just want to dress myself, 'cos I'm a big boy now. Bridget's still a baby, 'cos Bessie still has to dress her."

"You hurry up and come downstairs with me now as soon as I get your sister," Obadiah said. "We needs to eat, so's I can show you something new."

"What is it, Da?" Barry asked eagerly. "Did you bring me something?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," his father said enigmatically, twitching.

Obadiah then walked a few steps down the hall, where Bessie was dressing Bridget.

"Get her dressed and bring her downstairs for breakfast as quick as you can," he told her. "I don't want them disturbin' their mother 'fore she's ready to see them."

"I understand, sir," Bessie replied.

Obadiah went back to Barry's room to hurry him along. He didn't want them to hear the new baby if he began to cry, because he knew they'd run right into the bedroom if that happened.

Later, after both children were downstairs eating their breakfasts, he told Bessie to go upstairs and check on Anna and ask her when she'd be ready to see Barry and Bridget.

The maid returned moments later, murmuring to Obadiah, "Any time you're ready."

All three were about finished with breakfast, so Obadiah turned to the children and announced, "Time for your surprise, it is. Let's go back upstairs, 'cos that's where it is."

Both children followed their father eagerly up the stairs, each thinking that he'd brought them something home again .

Just before opening the door to his bedroom, he turned to the children and warned, "Both of you better be on your best behaviour. Your mother is tired and don't need no noise today." Taking each child by the hand, he urged, "Come on, now."

Leading them inside, they found Anna sitting up in bed, with Baby Will in her arms. "Come meet your new brother, children," she said, beckoning them forward, as she held the recently-fed newborn up for them to see. "His name is William."

"I got me a brother, just like I wanted, I did," Barry crowed. "When did he get here?'

"Late last night, after you went to bed," Anna replied briefly.

"Did you bring him home with you, Da?" the little boy asked in all seriousness.

Cackling in amusement, Obadiah answered, "No, I didn't. Got here just after he got here, though."

Looking at Bridget, who had so far not said a word, but had stealthily inched closer, Anna quickly changed the subject. "Why don't you come close, Bridget, and touch your little brother's hand. You're not the baby any more now."

The little girl obeyed, carefully stretching out one finger to stroke the tiny baby's soft hand. "Little baby," she chirped happily.

After a few minutes, Obadiah told the children, "That's enough for now. Both your mother and the baby needs to get some rest now, they do. Time for the both of you to go outside and play for awhile, eh?"

Before herding the two children out, he turned to his wife and said, "I'll be back to check on you in awhile to see how you're doing."

"I'll be here," she replied, laughing softly.

Three days later, Obadiah crawled into bed with Anna for the first time since the baby had been born. Anna had been out of bed for short periods of time that day, though she had yet to venture downstairs. Baby William had been fed and changed, and was now down for the night.

"Glad to have you back," Anna murmured as he pulled the covers over both of them. "It didn't feel right with you sleeping on the floor."

Obadiah didn't reply at first, but simply put his arms around her and brought her close against his body. "Feels good, that does," he finally said, sighing in relaxation. "I've missed holdin' you in my arms." Twitching briefly, he continued, "Too bad that's all we'll get to do for the next few weeks."

"Oh, Obadiah, you're incorrigible!" she said in mock reproof. "But I love you for it."

The couple remained in companionable silence for the next few minutes. Anna could tell he had something on his mind, so she asked him, "What are you thinking about, Obadiah? You're awfully quiet."

After a long pause, he twitched briefly, then told her, "I finally went and visited my mother's grave on this last trip out."

"Why didn't you mention it earlier?" she asked. "I want to hear all about it."

"Didn't want to trouble you none right after you'd done had a baby," he said slowly. "Thought you needed to get a bit of your strength back 'fore we talked about this, I did."

Squeezing his hand gently, knowing he needed to talk about it, she encouraged him, "Tell me. I'm ready to hear it."

"I went there on Sunday," he began. "I thought it was a good day to go, 'cos we'd not be doing any recruiting that day and I knew Hanley would be sleeping off all the drinking he'd done the night before. It ain't but seven miles from there to Maltby, where I grew up, so I knew I could do it and get back all in one day, see?"

"Go on," she prodded.

"I left early in the morning, taking my time to get there," he continued. "Church was out for the day by the time I got to Maltby, so I had the cemetery to myself."

Pausing to gather his words, he went on, "Being there again after so many years made me think of all them bad memories all over again from when I was a little 'un. It was like it all happened a month ago."

"Oh, Obadiah," she breathed, rubbing his arm in sympathy.

"I found my mother's grave right away and I stood there for a good while talking to her, like she was standing right in front of me," Obadiah said, eyes misting up again at the memory of it. "I told her all about you and the little 'uns and how I was a sergeant in the army. I know she'd have been happy to know that I have me a good life now."

"She would have been proud of you, Obadiah, I just know!" Anna insisted.

Twitching, he replied, "I likes to think so."

"What then?" she asked. "Did you go through the town at all?"

"No," he answered. "I saw that my Uncle Pete was dead - his tombstone was right next to my mother's. He would have been the only person I would have wanted to see, 'cos he saved my life and all, but considering he was gone, I just wanted to leave after visiting Mother's grave."

"That's too bad you didn't get to see him again, so he could have known that you were all right," she said.

"It was," Obadiah agreed. "But as I was just getting ready to leave, someone came into the cemetery and you'll never guess who it was."

"Who?"

"It was that filthy bastard of a vicar!" he spat out, twitching. "Still alive he was! And the bleedin' sod didn't even know me, 'til I showed him my hanging scar."

"Oh, dear!" she exclaimed, frowning.

"All I could think of was how he used to force himself on my mother and how I couldn't do nothin' to help her," he said bitterly, twitching again. "One time when I was a little 'un not much bigger than Barry, I tried to get him off her, but it didn't do no good. He just hit me hard and broke my nose. Went flying, I did, all the way across the room 'til I hit the wall and was out cold."

"What a horrible man!" Anna said, eyes flashing in indignation.

Looking intently at her, he confessed what he'd done. "I couldn't help her then, but I could get revenge for her now, so I killed him. Choked him to death, I did."

"Oh, Obadiah!" she said, her tone despairing. "You could have been seen! They would have hanged you again and made sure you died this time."

"It had to be done," he said flatly. "It had to be done, so's my mother could rest in peace."

"He was an old man," she protested weakly.

"Don't matter none to me," he said, his tone indifferent. "I ain't never told you this before, but I caught the miserable bugger raping his own daughter. That's why he had me hanged; I caught him doing it and he wanted to get rid of me so's I'd not tell his shame to the world. I did tell, but no one believed me, so I don't know why he went to so much trouble to see me hang."

"What if they find his body?" she asked. "Someone is surely going to ask questions."

:I done took care of all that, missy," he assured her. "I tied a big sack full of rocks round his neck and dumped his sorry carcass into the river. Ain't no one going to find him."

Completely horrified by what her husband just told her, Anna could not speak and a thick uncomfortable silence fell over the room for a long interval.

A moment later, the door opened and Bridget came into the room crying. The little girl had bad dreams from time to time and would come in to seek comfort from her mother, but this time she went straight to Obadiah's side of the bed, raising her arms to be lifted into the bed.

Picking her up and holding her close in his arms, he murmured, "What's wrong, little flower? Had a bad dream, did you?"

"Monster dream," she said, sniffling, hanging on to him for dear life. "Big ol' troll running after me."

"It's all right now," Obadiah crooned, stroking her hair. "Your Da is here. I won't let no monster or any other mean old bugger hurt you. You're safe now."

As Anna watched him comfort their daughter, her revulsion at what Obadiah had done to the vicar dissipated. She realized yet again that he'd do anything to protect his family and it dawned on her that the despicable vicar deserved to rot in hell for what he'd done to his own daughter and Obadiah's mother. Anna was thankful that her children had a father who loved them this much. As Obadiah continued to reassure Bridget, she took his free hand and rubbed it gently to let him know that all was well between them.

:


	33. Obadiah's Decision

**Late 1811**

The next several years were good ones for the Hakeswills, as Obadiah continued contentedly on as a recruiting sergeant. As the years went by, he had plenty of down time in between forays to watch his children grow.

Anna became pregnant two more times, miscarrying once in 1806, then bringing a stillborn boy to term in 1808. Though both Anna and Obadiah both mourned the loss of both children, they were grateful for the three healthy children they did have.

Both Barabbas and William attended the village school, while Anna educated Bridget at home. Anna hoped to be able to send eleven-year-old Barry off to school the following year, with Catherine promising to contribute financially if he passed his entrance exams. Obadiah took a rather dim view of the idea, however, believing that he could be sufficiently educated at home. And though he'd never admit it to Anna, he didn't want Barry to end up with the hoity-toity manners that were common among those of the upper classes, a class which Obadiah still instinctively disdained.

As Christmas 1811 drew ever closer, with everyone in the family making holiday preparations, Obadiah bought or stole gifts for everyone in the family, as well as finding items in the shops that Anna had requested he look for. He'd never received gifts for Christmas before being with Anna, so he took special delight in the holiday both as a husband and especially as a father. For Anna, there would be a sapphire ring, made from one of the jewels he'd stolen in India, as well as several new books she'd been wanting to read.

Anna knitted woollen items to donate to the church that would later be given to the poor, as well as items for her own family. Obadiah would need new bedroom shoes and gloves for the winter and the children would receive new scarves and hats, which she also intended to give to Bessie and Mrs Harris. Bridget had learned to knit the previous year, so she now put her new skills to use helping her mother make the items that would be donated to the church.

Preparations were also under way for Christmas dinner, with Anna having settled on the final menu weeks before the holiday. Ever since returning to England in 1804, Christmas was always a festive occasion at the Hakeswill home, at Obadiah's insistence, as part of his belief that his children should have everything he was deprived of as a child and also as a way for him to vicariously experience the childhood he never had.

Lady Perkins had not been spending as much time with Anna as before, because her husband's health was failing and was not expected to make it into the new year. Archibald Perkins had been wasting away for the better part of a year and everyone near him knew that the end was close at hand, after the doctors told her that there was no more that could be done for him.

Barry was especially gloomy about the impending loss of his great-uncle. Archibald Perkins had taken a liking to the young boy, spending more and more time with Barry as he grew older, especially when his father was away on duty. Archibald knew there was nothing he could do about his niece's unfortunate choice of a husband, but he could at least take her son in hand and teach him about what it meant to be a gentleman, as it was obvious that his father was incapable of it, as he was no gentleman himself. He figured it was the least he could to mitigate the influence of the crude Obadiah Hakeswill on the young boy by showing him the better things in life..

The oldest Hakeswill child, who idolized his sergeant father, had no idea that his beloved Uncle Archibald despised his father, as the old man was careful not to let on to the child. His great-uncle, whom he considered as a surrogate grandfather, had taught him how to play whist and more recently, chess, plus the two spent hours taking walks together with Archibald's Great Danes. The two had also taken long rides around the estate, with a horse in the old man's stables reserved for Barry's exclusive use. The other two children had participated every so often, but it was obvious to all that knew them that it was Barry whom the old man doted on.

Even now, when it was now clear that Archibald's days were numbered, Barry went to visit him nearly every day. They mostly played chess, but as the old man continued to weaken, they merely engaged in conversation.

Both Anna and Catherine knew that Barry would be devastated when he lost his surrogate grandfather, but were grateful for the time that they'd been able to share. So, while the family continued to prepare for Christmas as they did each year, it was mainly for the benefit of the children.

Obadiah arrived home late one afternoon in the last week of November from a routine recruiting trip. As he came through the front door, haversack slung over his shoulder, he found Anna and Bridget sitting in the front room, working on their knitting projects. A fragrant smell emanated from the kitchen, which promised a good meal soon to come.

Bridget immediately set her knitting aside and sprang up to greet her father. "Da!" she exclaimed, as she wrapped her arms around his rawboned frame. "You're just in time for dinner!"

"Could smell it all the way down the lane, too," he said, twitching, as he patted her hair affectionately. "How's my little flower? Been helping your mother while I've been gone, have you, eh?"

"I've been helping Mama knit scarves for the church to give out at Christmas," she announced proudly "I've been working hard with my schoolwork, too."

"Good," Obadiah told her as he laid the haversack on a chair. "You keeps it up."

Turning to Anna, he leaned down to give her a quick kiss and asked, "What time do we eat? I'm so hungry, I could eat my boots."

Laughing briefly, she replied, "It won't be long now. And I promise you, it will taste better than your boots!"

"It better," he shot back in mock gruffness. "Where's Barry and Will?"

"They went down to the village to play with some of the village boys," Anna reported. "I told them to be home by sundown."

"It's nearly sundown now," Obadiah growled as he strode to the front door. Pulling it open, he looked out and didn't see any sign of the boys returning. Turning back to Anna he said, "I'll go get them. My horse is still saddled."

"Good idea," Anna said. "Dinner should be ready when you get back."

Obadiah kept his eyes peeled for his two sons as he entered the small village of Torrington a short time later. He rarely set foot in the village, preferring to spend his time off-duty at home with his family. The sergeant had never done any stealing there, either, as he preferred to keep that part of his life completely separate from his family life. Anna had her church work, helping the poor, which was all well and good, but Obadiah thought it was all he could do to make sure his own family had what they needed.

After a few minutes, he spotted the two boys, accompanied by a few other lads from the village, coming out from behind a house. The boys, once they saw their father trotting toward them, quickly separated from their friends and ran to his side. Barry, now eleven, who had grown to be whippet thin with prominent cheekbones like his father, smiled as he reached Obadiah's horse. Little Will, who was a bit more solidly built than his older brother, was nearly seven and had sandy coloured hair.

"Da!" Barry called out. "When did you get home?"

"Just now, I did," Obadiah replied gruffly. "Your mother told you to be home 'fore dusk and it's nearly that now."

"Sorry, we forgot about the time," Barry apologized, hoping his father was in a good mood.

"See that you keeps better watch over the time the next time your mother lets you go to the village," his father replied, his tone neutral. "It's nearly time to eat, so lets get both you boys up on the horse with me. Barry, you help me get Will up here first, then I'll pull you up."

Within moments, the Hakeswill men were on their way home, appetites at the ready. As they approached the house, Will piped up, "Da, did you bring me anything?"

"Too close to Christmas for that, it is," Obadiah told him, twitching, as he brought the horse to a halt in the back, in front of the stable. "You'll be getting things soon enough, so you needs to be quiet now."

After helping both his boys to dismount and getting down himself, Obadiah handed the reins to Barry. "Unsaddle Trouble and give him some food 'fore you come in to eat. Move smartly now!"

"Yes, sir!" Barry replied, moving to do as he was told.

"Good lad," Obadiah said quietly. He watched his oldest child for a long moment as he went to attend to the horse, thinking of how it wouldn't be too many more years before he'd be a man and was glad he'd be able to grow to manhood within the protection of a loving family.

A short time later, as the Hakeswill family sat around the dinner table in the middle of the meal, Obadiah noticed that Anna and the children were less talkative than usual.

"Why are all of you so glum, eh?" Obadiah demanded, twitching. "And so close to Christmas, too, it is. It's as bad as havin' to sit through a church service." Looking at the three children, he added, "I'm used to the three of you chattering like magpies, I am."

"I'm sorry, Obadiah," Anna apologized. "It's just that things have taken a turn for the worse for Uncle Archibald and his doctors have said there isn't anything more they can do for him. And you recall that he especially dotes on Barry, so this has been especially hard on him."

"I see," Obadiah said in a flat tone, twitching, then pressing his lips together tightly. "Too bad for Catherine then, eh?"

Anna knew that Obadiah didn't have any use for her uncle; that he was inherently suspicious of men from the upper classes. Though he adored Catherine, he had never developed a relationship with her husband and had rarely visited the Perkins mansion over the years. But he'd been careful not to share his opinion of the man with the children, so for that she was grateful. She knew he did it more so that the children would not reveal his opinions to Catherine, than for any respect for Archibald, but for whatever reason he did it, she was glad.

The rest of the meal passed in subdued conversation, after which the children scattered to do their evening chores before bed.

Obadiah and Anna went to bed early, as was their usual habit his first night back from a recruiting trip. Despite eleven years of marriage and three children, his desire for her was as strong as it ever had been, as well as hers for him.

Early the next morning, they were awakened by the sound of someone hammering on the front door.

Startled awake, Obadiah sat up in bed and muttered, "Bloody hell!"

"Maybe you'd better go see who it is, Obadiah," Anna murmured sleepily. "It could be important, as I don't imagine anyone would come calling at this hour otherwise."

"I'm goin', missy," he growled, in a bad humour. "I was just hopin' to sleep late this morning, is all."

After pulling on his trousers and bedroom slippers, he shambled down the hall to the stairs when the banging abruptly stopped. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he met Bessie, who was about to come up.

"One of the servants from up at the big house is here to see Mrs Hakeswill," the servant explained, trying to keep from yawning.

"Couldn't it have waited until a decent hour, eh?" Hakeswill grumbled, still out of sorts.

"Sorry, sir, but Lady Perkins told me to come right away, she did," a tall man standing in the doorway said. Obadiah recognized him as one of the Perkins' footmen.

"All right, then, spit it out," Obadiah said, twitching in irritation. "Maybe I can go back to bed and fall asleep if you're quick about it."

"It's Sir Archibald, sir," the footman said. "I beg to report that he passed away about an hour ago." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Lady Perkins asked that Mrs Hakeswill come up to the big house as soon as she could."

"I'll tell her," Obadiah replied gruffly.

"Lady Perkins sent the carriage," the servant reported. "She asked for the entire family to come."

"It'll take us some time to get ready and we needs to have breakfast first," the scrawny sergeant said. "You go along with Bessie to the kitchen and have you something to eat while we gets ready."

Heading back up the stairs, Obadiah did not look forward to breaking the news to Anna. Personally, he didn't care one way or the other about the baronet's death, but didn't want to seeing his Anna or Catherine sad.

Anna was sitting up in bed as he returned to the bedroom. Seeing the serious expression on her husband's face, she asked, "What was it?"

Sitting down next to her on the bed, Obadiah took her hand and squeezed it gently. "It's your uncle. He done passed on and Catherine wants us all to come up to the house."

"I was afraid that's what you were going to say," Anna said sorrowfully. "I can't say that I'm surprised."

"Catherine sent a carriage for us," he reported. "So we needs to get moving now."

Some time later, a grieving Catherine Perkins led Anna and Obadiah to her private parlour to talk, with the children having been sent outside while the adults conversed. She seated herself in the middle of a large sofa, with Anna and Obadiah seating themselves on either side of her.

Red-eyed, but composed, Catherine said, "I'm so glad that both of you could come so quickly. I don't know how I'd manage without either of you."

"We're here for you," Anna assured her. "After all you've done for us, of course we'll be here for you in your time of need."

"I was prepared for Archibald's death, but it still came as a shock, nonetheless." Catherine said quietly. "I don't think there is ever sufficient preparation for such a thing."

"He's at rest now," Obadiah said, twitching. "At least you knows he ain't hurtin' no more."

"I know," the older woman acknowledged, patting his hand. "I try to keep that in mind."

"What can we do for you?" Anna asked quietly.

"There's not much for you to do," Catherine said. "Archibald had his funeral all planned out ahead of time and preparations are already under way." Sighing audibly, she continued, "But there are a few things you both need to know about."

She paused for a moment as a servant came in to serve tea. After the maid left, she continued, "Archibald's oldest son, Reginald, has inherited the baronetcy, along with the estate. Before he died, Archibald shared part of the contents of his will with me. He has left me an adequate, if not lavish, stipend. I will have to move from the main house, as Reginald and I have never gotten along and he has a family of his own to consider."

"Oh, dear," Anna said, dismayed. "What will you do?"

"Archibald, however, did leave me Throckmorton Cottage, which is on the estate grounds, but far enough from the main house as not to be an inconvenience to my step-son," Catherine explained. "It's much smaller than the main house, of course, though larger than the Gatekeeper's Lodge. However, my stipend is such that I won't be able to take all my servants with me. I'll only be able to have a cook, a lady's maid, and a maid-of-all-work and, perhaps, a manservant."

"Be happy to help you move, I would," Obadiah offered.

"That is so kind of you," Catherine said. "But there's one thing you need to know about. It's quite likely that Reginald will put you out of the Gatekeeper's Lodge or, barring that, charge you exorbitant rent for the place. I certainly wouldn't put it past him."

Obadiah and Anna exchanged worried glances. They hadn't considered this. Anna's inheritance, along with Obadiah's sergeant's salary and bonuses, supplemented by his stealing, kept them comfortably enough at the Gatekeeper's Lodge, along with paying the salaries for Mrs Harris and Bessie, but there wasn't a whole lot left over.

Noting their expressions, Catherine said quietly, "I think I have a solution that will benefit us all. Throckmorton Cottage is more than big enough for all of us, including the servants. And I don't really care to rattle around the place all by myself with no one but servants to talk to. I truly would love to have you all live with me, as I spend so much time at the Gatekeeper's Lodge now as it is."

"Fine idea, it is," Obadiah said slowly. "I'd feel better knowing my Anna would always have company when I'm away. Good for the little 'uns, too."

"I think it's a good idea, too," Anna said, smiling. "But I will miss the Gatekeeper's Lodge, as we've had so many happy memories there. Nevertheless, we'll all make more happy memories together at Throckmorton Cottage."

"It's all settled then," Catherine said. "The funeral will be the day after tomorrow, so I thought we'd take a ride over to the cottage this afternoon to have a look at it. I don't know how soon Reginald will want us our of our respective abodes, but I think it's best if we prepare to move sooner rather than later."

"Splendid idea," Anna agreed. "I look forward to seeing it."

After lunch, they rode over to Throckmorton Cottage in Catherine's barouche. On the opposite side of the estate from the Gatekeeper's Lodge, it was a three story stone house surrounded by trees, up a hill from the road. Bordering the property on all sides were rolling, green meadows.

As the carriage rolled up the lane leading to the house, they saw a stable large enough for a couple of horses and the cow, with humble quarters for a stable boy, if they were to ever hire one.

The house's interior was dusty with the furniture covered with sheets, as the cottage had not been occupied in at least twenty years. Nevertheless, it was in general good shape; with nothing wrong that a good cleaning would not cure. The first floor had a sitting room, a small music room with a pianoforte, a library/office, a good sized dining room, along with the kitchen and pantry. Upstairs, there were six bedrooms, with two larger bedrooms on either end of the house with four smaller ones in between. On the attic floor, were the servants' quarters.

While inspecting the bedroom that would soon be theirs, Obadiah said to Anna, "Good thing Catherine offered to share the place with us, it is. I'd have hated to have had to move us into army lodgings."

"It would have been all right, Obadiah," she said quietly. "As long as I'm with you and the children, I'd be happy anywhere. But I _am_ glad that we'll be living here with Aunt Catherine. We'll have more room - and there's a pianoforte! Bridget has already told me she wants to learn to play it."

"She'll be good at it, I just knows," Obadiah said. "Has a nice singing voice already, she does."

Later that evening, back at the Gatekeeper's Lodge, as Obadiah and Anna were getting ready for bed, he said, "We needs to talk."

"What is it?" Anna asked, as they went to sit in the tower room, concerned with his serious expression.

"I've been thinking for awhile that I needs to re-enlist for another tour of active duty," Obadiah told her, taking her hands into his own. "There's more money to be made on active duty and more opportunities to steal, plus it's better loot. A good bit of the stealin' could be done openly, 'cos we're allowed to plunder dead enemy soldiers and officers. This war ain't going to go on forever and I'm 41 now, so I needs to do it soon, if I'm going to do it at all, see?"

"I understand," Anna said quietly. "But I hate to see you go."

"And I hates to leave you and the little 'uns," he said, twitching. "That's why I've been puttin' it off. But with your uncle dying and us movin' in with Catherine, I knew that now's the time for me to do it. I'd be able to go, knowin' you was settled and in good hands. And the little 'uns are getting older and can be a help to you."

Leaning close into his embrace, she said, "Do you really have to go? Even though they're older, the children still need you."

"I needs to do it while I can," he reiterated. "I needs to build up our money, so's we have enough to live on after I gets too old to work much. I'm in good shape now, so's I'd best do it while I'm able."

"When would you go?" Anna asked in a desperate voice.

"I've been recruitin' for replacement troops for the South Essex for the last month," Obadiah reported. "They needs sergeants to go with 'em and they've been askin' for volunteers. They'll be sendin' out the replacements to Portugal at the first of the year."

"How long would you be gone?" she asked.

"Can't say, exactly," he told her. "But I would think it wouldn't be no more 'n a year or so."

"A year!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "I'm going to miss you so much!"

"I'll miss you, too, missy," Obadiah said heavily, twitching, before leaning in to kiss her. "But I promise that when I comes back that I'll never leave you again."

"I'll hold you to that promise," Anna said stoutly. "And you'd better write to me!"

"You knows I will," he said in a low voice, kissing her again. Getting up and leading her to the bed, he added, "I thinks we have better things to do now than talk."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

**Author's note**:_ I've posted a banner for this story on my blog, which can be accessed from my profile. Thanks to Esther for making it for me._


	34. Last Few Weeks At Home

After the funeral, Catherine Perkins and the Hakeswills went to work preparing for their move to Throckmorton Cottage, in which they hoped to be settled before Christmas. Reginald Perkins had given her and the Hakeswills until the first of the year to move, but Obadiah wanted to see his family settled in their new home before he shipped out, so they immediately began preparations once Archibald Perkins had been laid to rest.

The next week was a flurry of activity as Bessie and Mrs Harris helped Anna and Obadiah organize and pack their belongings, as Catherine's servants helped her organize the things she'd be allowed to take with her from the mansion. Other servants went over to the cottage itself to give it a good cleaning in preparation for its new tenants.

Bessie and Mrs Harris would be moving along with the rest of the family, but Catherine was only able to take her personal maid along with her, as her step-son had decided to keep the rest to serve him and his family.

The children were excited about moving to a bigger house, as well as looking forward to Christmas, so they didn't have much time to think about the fact that their father was leaving them for a year or more.

Finally, on December 11th, moving day came for the Hakeswills. Catherine would be coming by in a carriage to take Anna and the children over to their new home, while Obadiah would ride beside them on horseback. Unfortunately, the carriage and its horses no longer belonged to Catherine, though she would retain the right to use of any of the estate's carriages, horses, and the necessary servants, just so long as a member of the new baronet's family had not already claimed it for use.

The children were waiting out front for the carriage to arrive, while Obadiah and Anna made a last run through the Gatekeeper's Lodge, their home for the last seven years, to make sure they'd not forgotten anything.

As they entered their bedroom for the last time, Anna said wistfully, as they sat for a moment in the tower room, "You know, I'm really going to miss this place. We've had so many good times here."

"That we have, missy," Obadiah rumbled. Reaching for her and pulling her tight into his arms, he added, "Want to have one last go of it, 'fore we go, eh?"

"Obadiah! One of the children might come up and walk in on us! Besides, Aunt Catherine will be here any moment to pick us up."

Giving her one brief kiss before releasing her, he said, "All right, missy. But be expectin' to christen our new bed proper tonight, mark my words."

Before Anna could reply, they both heard the clatter of feet running up the steps. Barry appeared a moment later in the doorway. "Da! Ma! Aunt Catherine is coming down the lane."

"Go on back down, boy, we'll be coming directly," Obadiah told him sternly.

After Barry obeyed, Obadiah stood, taking Anna's hand. "Let's go,' he said gruffly. "Got us a nice new house to live in, we do."

As Obadiah rode alongside the carriage, with little Will up in the saddle with him, Anna turned to take one last look at the Gatekeeper's Lodge. What with having to make a sudden, unexpected move, along with Obadiah's announcement that he would be returning to active duty, Anna was feeling distinctly disquieted. She was thankful that Aunt Catherine would be with her while Obadiah was away, but it didn't make her like the situation much better.

When the family reached Throckmorton Cottage, there was so much to do to get settled, that Anna's worrisome thoughts were temporarily banished. There were bookcases to fill, clothing to put away, and so on.

Anna and Catherine had decided to alternate weeks in deciding the daily menus for the family. They'd decided that Anna would go first and she'd already gone over the coming week's menu with Mrs Harris. So, when Catherine and the Hakeswills arrived at their new home, they were welcomed by the mouth-watering aroma of dinner already cooking.

As they came through the door, Barry remarked, "Something smells good in here! I'm hungry. When do we eat?"

"You go on upstairs with your brother and sister and start puttin' your things in your rooms," Obadiah told him, twitching briefly. "We'll call you down when it's time to eat." After a moment, he added, "Give me that fancy chess board your uncle left you and I'll put it in the library. There's a table just the right size for it in there. When I has the time, maybe you can teach me to play, eh?"

Archibald Perkins had not forgotten his favourite nephew in his will, leaving him with the ebony and ivory inlaid chessboard they'd played many games on, along with the chess pieces.

"I'd like that, Da," Barry said, giving his father a hopeful smile.

"Off with you, then," Obadiah said, pointing to the stairs.

The children obeyed their father, running upstairs to claim the bedrooms they'd already chosen on their first trip to the house. There was one bedroom left over, which would either be a guest bedroom or a playroom for the children.

It wasn't until later that night, after she and Obadiah had duly "christened" their new bed, that Anna began to ruminate again. Long after he'd gone downstairs for a post-coital midnight snack, she remained awake staring at the ceiling. It was one thing for him to be gone for a week or two on his recurring recruitment trips, since he was within reach if there was ever a family emergency and she needed him right away. It was quite another for him to leave the country for a year or more. Though she knew her worry was partially needless, as Catherine would be with her, she could not help it, especially knowing that Catherine's income had been greatly reduced, though not quite to penury.

Obadiah, meanwhile, was poking around in the kitchen for something to nibble on. He'd brought along a candle in a holder, as he wasn't familiar enough yet with his new home to feel his way along in the dark. He found some bread and cheese and after grabbing a plate, he took it, along with some water to the music room, which overlooked the road below. There was a full moon, so he went to sit by the window, setting the candle holder on top of the pianoforte.

Just as his wife was doing upstairs, Obadiah sat brooding, looking out into the moonlight. He was loath to leave Anna and the children for so long, especially now that their living situation had so suddenly changed. If they didn't have any children, he'd have put her name into the lottery to take her along with him, but he knew it wasn't fair to drag three children into a war zone.

As he continued to look out the window, lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Catherine come into the room behind him.

"You're up late," she said, sitting down near him on the pianoforte bench. "I couldn't sleep, so I came downstairs for something to eat and I saw your light."

Indicating his plate, he replied, "I was doing the same thing. Thought I'd sleep better with something in my stomach, I did."

"Is there something on your mind, Obadiah?" she asked in concern. "I noticed that both you and Anna seemed preoccupied at dinner."

"I suppose Anna done told you that I'm planning on goin' back on active duty in the new year," he told her.

"She mentioned it one time, but we really didn't get the chance to talk much about it," she admitted. "I got the idea that Anna isn't very happy about the entire situation."

"No, she's not," he confirmed, twitching. "But she understands why I needs to do it, she does."

"She's going to miss you terribly, that's all," Catherine reassured him.

"If we didn't have any little 'uns, I'd try to take her along with me," he said. "I'll miss her too, but I really needs to do this. There's lots more money to be made in a war zone than recruiting here at home and I has to do it while there's still a war going on. And I ain't getting no younger, neither. I just want to make sure we have enough money to be comfortable until our little 'uns take care of us in our old age."

"I know you have your family's best interests at heart and I think you're smart to think and plan ahead," Patting him on the arm, she continued, "There's no need to worry about Anna and the children while you're gone. They'll be fine and I will help in any way I can. You both will be so busy that I'm sure the year will fly by and you'll be back together before you know it."

"I know you're right," he said, twitching again. "And I 'preciates it, but I can't help but worry."

"You love her," Catherine said simply. "It's normal for you to feel this way." Patting his arm again, she said, "Go on upstairs to your wife and hold her while you can."

"Believe I will," Obadiah said, standing up. "Good night, Catherine."

When he entered the bedroom a couple of moments later, he found Anna awake, staring at the ceiling.

"You were gone quite awhile," Anna remarked as Obadiah crawled back into bed with her. "Did you eat the entire larder?"

Cackling softly, he pulled her close so that her head rested on his chest. "Naw, I wasn't _that_ hungry, missy. I just got to talking to Catherine. Turns out, she was hungry, too."

After a long pause, Anna murmured, "This is nice; just lying here together with you holding me. I'm going to miss it so much."

"Me, too," he said heavily, twitching.

They didn't speak any more, but simply enjoyed the simple pleasure of being close until they finally fell asleep, still entwined.

The next morning, shortly after breakfast, Obadiah turned to Barry and Anna and said, "I needs you two to meet me out back in five minutes. Before I leave here, I wants to be sure that you both know how to properly shoot a pistol."

"I don't want to handle a gun, Obadiah," Anna demurred, frowning. "I don't like them."

"I know you don't, missy," he replied, his tone somewhat sharp. "But I needs to know that you and Barry knows how to defend the family, if need be. I'd be able to rest easier knowing that you at least knows how to fire a pistol. We got that old fowling piece that I already done taught Barry how to use, but he needs to learn to use a pistol, too. You're both going to learn and that's my final word."

"All right, Obadiah," Anna acquiesced quietly. She recognized Obadiah's curt tone, which he rarely used with her, unless he considered the matter in question to be of the utmost importance.

Barry, however, was delighted that his father trusted him enough to let him fire his pistol and thought him old enough to be trusted with defending his family. Nevertheless, he was savvy enough not to show his glee in front of his mother.

A short time later, Obadiah, in his best sergeant's mode, ran through the steps of properly loading and firing a pistol for his wife and son. He'd be leaving them one of the pistols he'd stolen, a nondescript one with no identifying marks on it.

He stood close behind Anna, reaching around to correct her grip and stance before allowing her to actually shoot.

"Put your left hand up under the butt of the pistol to help support your grip," he instructed. "It will help to keep the barrel from coming back on you after you fire." He watched as she complied, then said, "That's it. Now, point the pistol at that tree over there and fire. It don't matter if you hits it or not, 'cos if you're using it to defend yourself, the bugger will be much closer n' that."

Anna tensed, but finally pulled the trigger. She winced at the loud report, but did not flinch overly much, as Obadiah had warned her about the noise.

"Good!" Obadiah said, obviously pleased. "You'll do just fine. I'll practice with you every day, 'til I have to leave and I expects it will be second nature to you by then. Now, I wants you to watch while Barry does it and see if you notice any mistakes he might make."

Barry did about as well as his mother, using the same grip and stance his father had recommended for his mother, because of his age and size.

After a bit more practice with both of them, Obadiah was well satisfied. With regular, diligent practice, they'd be fine marksmen - probably better than half the lazy sods he'd been in charge of in the army.

"I'm proud of both of you," Obadiah told them gruffly before they ceased practicing for lunch. "For a woman who says she don't like guns, you did good." Turning to his son, he added "And you'd make a fine marksman in the army."

After lunch, Obadiah went into the library to write a letter to the commanding officer of the South Essex training camp, formally volunteering to go with the next replacement detachment sent to Portugal. He'd been putting it off during the haste to pack up and move, but he couldn't procrastinate any longer if he intended to go with the next group.

After he was finished, he sealed up the note, then started to head out. He found little Will loitering in the hall, apparently with nothing to do.

"Want to take a ride with me on the horse, eh?" he asked his youngest child as he put on his coat to go out. "I'm going down to the village to post a letter, I am."

"Yes, Da!" the little boy exclaimed, jumping up and down with happiness. "I want to go!"

"Settle down, boy," his father said with mock sternness. "Let's get your coat on and then we can be on our way to saddle ol' Trouble, eh?"

The were soon off and Obadiah indulgently listened to Will prattle on both to and from the village. He intentionally took the long way back home, in order to give them a bit more time together. Will at six was so completely different from him at six and Obadiah was grateful that he and Anna had been able to give him a much better childhood than Obadiah had endured. He'd miss the little bugger while he was away, but there would plenty more good times with his children once he returned.

As they arrived home, Obadiah dismounted, with Will clinging to his neck as he swung down off the horse. "Go plague your brother for awhile," he told the little boy as he turned to take the horse into the stable to unsaddle.

A few minutes later, he entered the house and immediately heard someone laboriously picking out a simple tune on the pianoforte. Curious, he entered the music room to find Bridget seated at the keyboard, concentrating intensely as she followed her great-aunt's instructions. Obadiah stood silently in the doorway, listening.

When Bridget realized that her father was standing behind her, she immediately stopped playing, suddenly self-conscious. "Oh, Da!" she said. "I didn't know you were standing there."

"Don't stop on my account," Obadiah assured her. "I was enjoyin' listening to you play."

"Did you really?" Bridget asked. "This is only my first lesson."

"'Course I did," her father replied. "I don't expects you to sound like someone from an orchestra right off; everyone has to start somewhere."

"That's what I told her," Catherine affirmed. Pointing to a stack of sheet music sitting on top of the pianoforte, she added, "I have enough music for her to learn that she'll be busy for quite some time to come. She'll be quite the accomplished musician once you return from the Peninsula."

Bridget frowned at the mention of her father's impending departure. "Oh, I wish you wouldn't go," she said in a sulky tone. "I'll miss you ever so much when you're gone. Things won't be the same around here without you."

"I'll miss you, too, little flower" he told her, twitching. "But I have to go. And it looks like you'll have enough to keeps you busy while I'm gone, eh? You'll be able to keep everyone entertained and I'll look forward to hearin' you play when I gets back."

Later that evening, Obadiah took a long walk with Anna after dinner. As they strolled, hand in hand, Obadiah told Anna, "I made sure to spend a bit of time today with each one of the little 'uns. I plans to do it every day 'til I have to leave, so's they have some good memories to hold on to while I'm gone."

"When is _my_ time," Anna teased, squeezing his hand.

"Every night at bedtime," he shot back, giving her a suggestive look. "You knows that. And after dinner every night, like right now."

Three days later, Obadiah got a reply from the commander of the South Essex training camp, telling him that he'd been accepted to join the detachment and that he should report on the second of January, ready to ship out.

Christmas was a joyful, yet bittersweet time at Throckmorton Cottage. Archibald's death was still painfully recent and all were mindful of Obadiah's impending departure, knowing there was a strong possibility that he'd not be spending the next Christmas at home. Mrs Harris prepared a Christmas dinner fit for a king at Anna's behest, wanting to make sure Obadiah had a dinner with all the trimmings, as she knew that what he'd be eating for the next year would be strictly hit or miss in quality.

After the children had received their gifts, Obadiah reached into his pocket to bring out a small box, handing it to his wife.

"Oh, what's this?" Anna said. Opening the box, she inhaled sharply at the sight of the beautiful sapphire ring inside, the stone a lively, cornflower blue. "Oh, my word, Obadiah, it's gorgeous!"

"I had it made from one of the sapphires we brought back from India," he explained. Taking the ring from the box, he slipped it on her right ring finger. "Looks good, it does. Every time you sees it, you can think of me."

"It's lovely, Obadiah," Catherine said as she beheld the ring on her niece's finger. "It's a beautiful sapphire."

Pulling out another similar box from his other pocket, he handed it to Catherine. She opened it to find a simple necklace made with a single teardrop sapphire in the same shade as Anna's ring.

"How nice!" the older woman said. "Thank you, Obadiah. I'll treasure it always."

Anna had given Obadiah several useful items for his kit, so he'd have everything he needed while he was away, as most of the things he'd brought back from India were worn out.

Catherine gave him a box of writing paper, some pens and pencils, along with a large bottle of ink, telling him he didn't have any excuses now not to write to them.

After they went upstairs for the night, Anna said quietly, "I have one more gift for you Obadiah,

Turning to open a drawer in the armoire, she pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Open it," she urged.

He unfolded the paper to find a lock of her hair, tied together with a purple ribbon. Picking it up, he gently rubbed the hair between his thumb and forefinger.

"I want you to carry that with you to look at and touch whenever you find yourself missing me," she explained. "And, of course, take my little portrait with you as well.

Leaning over to kiss her, he murmured, "Glad to have it, I am. I'll put it in my wallet, so's I don't lose it. And I already have the portrait in my uniform pocket." Patting his bald head, he gave her a lopsided grin and added, "Too bad I can't do the same for you, missy, unless you wants me to trim a bit from my side whiskers. They needs a bit of trimming, anyways."

"I'll get the scissors," Anna said swiftly. Within a few minutes, she had a bit of Obadiah's whiskers to save, though the hair wasn't long enough to tie with a ribbon. She found a thinner piece of string and was able to tie it together with that.

"Come on, missy, let's go to bed," he said, twitching. "I'll give you something to remember me with while I'm gone."

Finally, the day came for Obadiah to leave. He rose early and had a hearty breakfast with his family before going back upstairs to dress. He'd packed his things the night before, so he'd not have to worry with it in the morning.

Anna followed him up the stairs to the bedroom to be with him as long as she could. Sitting on the bed, she watched him systematically put on each article of clothing, trying to hold back the tears

When he was done, he sat down on the bed beside her and took her hand. "I guess this is it, missy."

Her chin quivered slightly as he brought her into his arms for a long lingering kiss.

"Don't cry, missy," he rumbled. "I don't want my last sight of you bein' a sad face." He reached into her pocket for her handkerchief and gently dried her eyes, then put it in his own pocket to have as another keepsake of her.

He took her hand and led her down the stairs, where the rest of the family was gathered. Barry had saddled the horse for his father and it stood waiting, right outside the front door.

They followed him into the yard and watched as he stowed his gear on the back of the saddle.

Turning to little Will, Obadiah picked him up to hold one last time. "Be good for your Mama and Aunt Catherine while I'm gone, eh? I'm expectin' you to be a good boy."

"I will, Da," the little boy promised solemnly.

Bridget was next. Obadiah brushed one hand across her cheek as he kissed the top of her head. "I expects you to help, too, and practice your music, so's I can look forward to hearing it when I comes back home."

She didn't say a word, but threw herself in his arms and hugged him tightly, tears flowing freely before reluctantly stepping back..

Looking to Barrabas, he said, "You're nearly twelve now and I expects you to be the man of the house. You can shoot real good, and I expects you to practice regular and not forget all the things I've done told you. I'm proud of you, son; you'll be a fine man before too much time goes by."

Standing tall, trying to look brave, Barry said, "I won't let you down, Da. You can count on me."

Catherine was standing next to Barry. "I wants to thank you for all you've done for me and my family over the years and I can rest easier knowin' you'll be here to help Anna look out for the family while I'm gone."

Taking both his hands, she squeezed them gently and said, "Don't worry, Obadiah. We'll be fine. Just take good care of yourself."

"I will," he promised, twitching.

Anna was last, standing by the horse. He didn't say a word, but took her into his arms and gave her a long goodbye kiss. "I loves you, Anna," he murmured. "You are the best thing ever to happen in my life and I still can't believe you wanted to marry an old bastard like me."

"Always, Obadiah," she breathed. "Forever.' Kissing him one last time, she said, "Promise me you'll come back to me safe and sound."

"You can be sure of that," he promised as he swung himself up on the horse. "You should know by now that I cannot die."

After leaning down to give her one last kiss, he turned the horse and rode slowly down the lane to the road. Turning back one time, he waved at his family before continuing on.

Anna and the children watched him until he was out of sight, then reluctantly went back into the house.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

**Author's note**: _A new blog post, with pictures of the church in Maltby and of Throckmorton Cottage can be found on my blog, which can be accessed from my profile._


	35. Shipping Out

Obadiah Hakeswill reached the South Essex training camp that evening, just before the sun was completely down. As he rode through the gates, he found the parade ground a beehive of activity as the newly-trained recruits, who would be replacements for the Light Company, gathered and organized their gear in preparation for shipping out.

He paid them no mind as he rode to the stables; there would be plenty of time later to show these raw recruits just who was boss. As he dismounted Trouble for the last time, he walked in front of him to say goodbye.

"I guess this is it, old boy," Hakeswill said as he patted the loyal animal on the nose. "You've been a good horse and I hates to leave you. I'd take you with me if I could, but some poxy old bastards says that sergeants can't have no horses when on active duty. And by the time I gets back, I expects they'll have given you to some other bugger."

After giving the animal one final pat, he moved off to find the NCO hut. On the way there, he spotted Newkirk, who was now a private, standing with a group of other privates who were part of the detachment preparing to ship out.

Walking over to the rawboned sergeant, the young man said, "Sarge! I heard tell you had volunteered to come out to Portugal with us. I sees it's true."

"I needs the money, I do," Hakeswill explained briefly, twitching. "There's more money to be made plundering in a war zone than here at home."

"I remember you telling me that," Newkirk replied. "That's why I volunteered to go."

"You stays close to me and I'll show you how it's done," Obadiah promised him. "You do a good job and I'll have you promoted to corporal, mark my words." After a pause, he added, 'I'll needs you to be my eyes and ears among the men, so's I always knows what they're up to."

"I can do that," Newkirk promised.

As they talked, a diminutive young officer stood at the front of the parade ground, unsuccessfully trying to get the men's attention. The sergeant watched his fruitless efforts for a moment, then gave an audible snort. "Looks like they're getting new officers from the nursery these days. He ain't much older than my Barabbas."

"That's Ensign Matthews, sir," Newkirk told him. "Bought his commission just two weeks ago, he did. More like his Da did, I should say. He ain't but fifteen or sixteen."

"Don't matter none to me," Obadiah said, cackling. "Good thing he's young. The bugger will be easier to train to do my bidding that way. It won't take long to show him who's boss."

Newkirk didn't respond, other than to chortle knowingly, feeling a little sorry for the juvenile officer.

"Believe I'll go show him his place now," the scrawny sergeant said, twitching again.

Loping over to where the tiny officer was still stammering helplessly, Sgt Hakeswill bawled, ''ten SHUN! Shut your filthy gobs and listen."

The recruits immediately stopped what they were doing, hastily forming ranks as they came to attention.

"Sergeant!" the young officer exclaimed in wonder. 'Upon my word, how did you do that? You make it look so easy!"

"It's a sergeant's job to control the men, sir," Hakeswill said, his tone just one shade shy of scornful. "Good officers don't soil themselves dealin' with the miserable miscreants, but leaves it all to the sergeants. Been doin' it more 'n twenty years, I have, so's it's second nature to me now, see?"

"I understand," Ensign Matthews said. "I've only been in the army for two weeks. My father bought me a commission, you see. It would seem that I have much to learn." After a moment, he asked, "And what is your name, Sergeant?"

"Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill at your service, sir," Hakeswill barked, standing tall, emphasizing his height advantage over the pint-sized young officer.

"I'm Ensign William Matthews," the young man said.

"Like I was saying, sir, them new officers what learns from an experienced sergeant, always ends up bein' good officers," Hakeswill continued, twitching. "'Cos it's sergeants what runs the army, seein' that most of us stays at that rank for years and ends up learning to do most everything useful in the army."

"That makes sense," Matthews responded nervously. He'd noticed the sergeant's twitching and wondered what the man's problem was.

"You listens to me and pays attention to what I tells you and you'll stay alive," Sergeant Hakeswill told him. "There's lots to learn, see?" Turning to the assembled men, who were avidly listening to the hard-bitten sergeant take down the young officer, he added, "That goes for the rest of you bleedin' sods as well. You wants to stay alive, you listens to me and do what I tells you. You don't and you gets flogged, if you don't get killed by the Crapauds first."

"Thank you for your advice," the young officer said carefully. "I shall certainly heed it."

"If that's all, sir, I'll be going on to find me something to eat and then my bed for the night," Hakeswill said. "Early start in the morning, sir."

"By all means, Sergeant." Matthews said, still unnerved by the sheer force of Hakeswill's personality.

Before walking off, his point now made, Hakeswill turned to the men, still standing at attention. "Dismissed!"

As he rejoined Newkirk, who was standing at the periphery of the group, Hakeswill twitched again, then said in a low voice, "See? That's how it's done. He'll be marching to my tune from now on, or else."

Newkirk shuddered just a little at the dark expression on the sergeant's face as he said 'or else' and was very glad, not for the first time, that he was on Hakeswill's good side. The young man had seen for himself how good Obadiah was to his wife and children, but knew he was almost a completely different man when on duty among other soldiers.

He followed the sergeant to the mess area, then sat with him, when Hakeswill beckoned him to do so.

Obadiah dug into his supper immediately, methodically shovelling the less than appetizing food into his mouth. He'd always eaten army food as quickly as he could, trying not to taste it on the way down, knowing it was easier to get it down that way. It tasted especially terrible now, after he'd become accustomed to Mrs Harris' good cooking.

After he'd choked down most of the food, he looked up at Newkirk. "I needs to give you some advice 'fore we board ship in Portsmouth."

Washing down another bite with his drink, he continued, "You needs to be careful about doing any stealing when we're on board the ship. We're all packed in tightly with hardly no privacy at all and there's no good way to hide any loot you steal. Real easy to get caught on board a ship, it is. Best thing is to just mind your own business. You can steal food, just so long as you eats it right away, but there's hardly any of that worth stealing, see?"

"Makes sense, it does," Newkirk agreed.

"But you can spend your time watching everyone to see if they've got anything interesting to steal later on, once we go ashore," Obadiah went on. "That's the time you wants to be stealing, especially on the march inland to join the rest of the regiment. All them buggers will be intent about getting where they're going, that they won't be guarding their things all that close. They'll have their eyes goggling all around lookin' at the new country and finding women to roger, see?"

"Suppose I want to find me a woman to roger?" Newkirk asked. "Man can't get by from stealing alone, he can't."

Obadiah cackled, then said, "There'll be plenty of whores wantin' to join up with us. You'll have your pick, boy, mark my words."

Newkirk grinned, then left Hakeswill to finish what was left of his dinner.

As he finished up, Obadiah began to think of Anna and wondered what she and the children were doing at that moment. He'd been so focused on getting where he was going earlier that day that h he'd not thought much about them while riding down to the training camp but now, at rest, his mind returned to his family.

Still sitting at the mess table near the hearth, he decided to write a short note to Anna to let her know he was thinking about her. He'd post it before he boarded ship in Portsmouth, so she'd get it in a day or so. The room was sufficiently lit with candle sconces, so it was the perfect place to write his letter.

Obadiah pulled a sheet of paper out of his haversack, along with a bottle of ink and a pen and began to write.

_Dear Anna,_

_This is your Obadiah here, just thinking about you. I already miss you, even though I saw you this morning. I had me a good ride down to the training camp here and I just finished eating my supper. We leave for Portsmouth early tomorrow morning and we'll board as soon as we gets there. The ship, probably a leaky old tub, will be my home for the next few weeks, so I won't be able to get any more letters to you during that time. I loves you and I wanted to let you know I'll be thinking about you. Let Barry, Bridget, Will, and Catherine know I was thinking of them too._

_With all my love_

_Your Obadiah_

He folded the letter and sealed it, then addressed the outside:

_Mrs Anna Hakeswill  
Throckmorton Cottage  
Perkins Estate  
Torrington, Surrey_

Obadiah headed to the NCO hut to bed down for the night, after finishing up with the letter. He knew the group would have to rise by 4 am if they wanted to reach Portsmouth at a good hour. Tired from his journey on horseback, he fell asleep soon after his head hit the pillow.

The next day, after a long march to the sea, the replacement troops reached Portsmouth by late afternoon. New officers assigned to the South Essex, including Colonel Windham and his aides and a Captain Rymer were already there and would board just before sailing. Obadiah Hakeswill, along with the men, however, boarded the ship right away and spent the night aboard before sailing early the next morning. It would be a couple of weeks before they would set food on dry land again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Two days after Obadiah sailed from Portsmouth, a army post rider galloped up the lane to Throckmorton Cottage. Will Hakeswill was out playing in the front yard as the army corporal dismounted and tied his horse to a nearby tree.

Walking up to the little boy, the young corporal asked, "I hope I have the right house. I'm looking for a Mrs Anna Hakeswill."

"That's my Mama!" Will announced, clapping his hands.

"Can you go get her to come to the door for me," the young soldier asked patiently. "I have a letter for her."

The little boy nodded, then shot off to rush into the house. Once inside, he ran through the rooms, yelling, "Mama! Mama!"

Anna, who was in the sitting room doing needlework with Catherine, popped her head out into the hallway. "There's no need to be shouting, young man," she said reprovingly. "I'm right here. What do you need?"

"There's a soldier waiting outside to see you," Will reported. "He says he has a letter for you."

"Oh, my," Anna said, almost jumping up from her chair. Turning to Catherine, she said, "I'll be right back."

She followed her youngest child out the front door, where the young corporal stood patiently waiting. "I'm Mrs Hakeswill."

"I have a letter for you, ma'am," he said, extending it to her.

When she saw Obadiah's familiar untidy scrawl, she relaxed, reassured that nothing was wrong. "Thank you, corporal," she said. "Would you like something to eat before you go?"

"Thank you, Mrs Hakeswill, but I have a lot more letters to deliver today, so I need to be on my way," he replied. After she acknowledged him with a nod, he went back to his horse and rode swiftly down the hill.

Returning to Catherine in the sitting room, she said, "It's a letter from Obadiah."

Not waiting for her aunt to reply, she broke the seal and began to read, smiling to herself as she did so. After reading it, she set it aside on the table beside her, still smiling.

Turning to her aunt, she said, "Obadiah just wanted to let me know he was thinking about me. He must have posted it just before boarding ship." Touching a finger to his miniature portrait she wore around her neck, she added, "He won't be able to receive any letters from me until he gets to Portugal and that he'll write again to let me know when he's arrived."

"Should be a couple of weeks, I would imagine, depending upon the weather," Catherine speculated.

"It was good to hear from him," Anna said quietly. "Each letter will be like having a little piece of him here with me."

"You'll have to find a sturdy little box to hold all the letters you get," Catherine suggested. "I saved every letter Archibald ever wrote me and when I'm lonely for him at night, I sometimes will re-read some of his old letters."

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea," Anna said. "I know just the box to use, too."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A few weeks later, the ship carrying the replacement troops for the South Essex Light Company arrived at its destination on the coast of Portugal. Obadiah Hakeswill was more than ready to disembark, as the voyage down the coast had been a rough one, through choppy seas. He'd not been able to eat much, thus had lost some of the weight he'd gained after marrying Anna. Never a fat man, he didn't have much weight to spare to lose.

Obadiah took a deep breath as he staggered down the gangplank onto Portuguese soil. It would take a bit of time to re-accustom himself to walking on solid ground again, after spending weeks with the deck rolling beneath his feet. He inhaled deeply, appreciating the smell of fresh air after weeks of sour, fetid air down in the hold of the ship.

And, now, he was finally where he could do what he came here for; to take advantage of any and all opportunities to steal. He'd spent a some time aboard ship coaching Newkirk on the finer points of stealing in a war zone. The young private had also done well spying on the other men and now knew which ones had anything worth stealing and what weaknesses they had for Obadiah to exploit.

After all the men had disembarked and were assembled at where they would spend the night before marching inland, Sergeant Hakeswill went to find little Ensign Matthews to find out what orders had been passed down to him.

He found the young officer sitting under the awning of a building, looking a bit overwhelmed and out of his element.

"Oh, there you are Sergeant Hakeswill," Matthews said, both nervous and glad that the older man was there to guide him. "I was wondering where you were."

"Was just getting' the men organized and settled for the night, sir," Hakeswill explained, twitching. "I came to find out if any orders have been passed down for us yet."

"Yes, Captain Rymer gave me our orders just before I disembarked," Matthews told him. "We're to join up with the rest of the light company at Elvas, near the Spanish border. I'm to report to Captain Sharpe."

"Sharpe?" the rawboned sergeant repeated, not quite believing his ears. It couldn't be old Sharpie, Obadiah thought to himself, as the last time he'd seen the man, he was a sergeant in India. "Let me see them orders! Sir."

Matthews immediately obeyed without thinking, handing Hakeswill the orders. "You can read, can't you, Sergeant?"

"'Course I can read!" Obadiah said indignantly. Quickly scanning the handwritten orders, he saw that it was indeed Captain Richard Sharpe. Of course, there could be another man by that name in the army. Richard Sharpe had come from the dregs of society, same as him, and Obadiah knew they didn't promote sergeants up into the officer ranks, especially someone as gutter born as Sharpie.

"I think it's ever so exciting that I'll be serving under the famous Captain Sharpe, the hero of Talavera," Matthews blathered on, totally oblivious to Hakeswill's reaction to the name. "Won't you?"

Hakeswill carefully schooled his expression, not wanting to share his loathing of Richard Sharpe with the clueless young officer. He'd never heard of any heroes of Talavera, but he didn't let on to Matthews about it. "That it is, sir," he replied dutifully.

"I'll be going now to make sure the men will be ready to leave first thing in the morning," the sergeant said crisply.

"Go ahead, Sergeant," Matthews said distractedly. "I'll see you early in the morning, then."

Later that evening, after he'd bedded down for the night after writing another letter to Anna, Obadiah considered the implications of what he'd heard earlier. If, by some remote chance, it was old Sharpie, then he'd been given a unique opportunity to exact some sweet revenge on his old nemesis, which he would exploit to the fullest. Rolling over, trying to find a comfortable position, he resentfully wondered how a piece of foul gutter scum like old Sharpie managed to make it up to captain. Such a thing was practically unheard of. Obadiah remembered that Sharpie had always been an officer's pet - he'd no doubt let some fairy fop of an officer bugger him in the arse to get his promotion. Cackling contentedly to himself, he soon fell asleep, just imagining the look on Sharpie's face when he finally clapped eyes on his old sergeant again.


	36. A Reunion of Enemies

_**Author's Note:** In this and the next few chapters, there will be some dialogue used from Sharpe's Company, though not always necessarily in the same order or context. As with the books, I own nothing from the film versions of Sharpe's Company or Sharpe's Enemy, but am just borrowing from them for entertainment purposes only, as I make no profit from it_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Two days later, Obadiah Hakeswill and the new recruits had reached Elvas, not far from the Spanish border. It had been a quick march across Portugal, where the men had been, just as Obadiah predicted, distracted and entirely interested in their new surroundings. Newkirk had taken advantage of this, pilfering a few useful items to either keep or sell. Obadiah did not do any stealing from the men; he would wait until they'd joined the larger unit, where the pickings were greater and until he could see which men had wives and, thus, be more easily manipulated. For now, he was contented to watch the men and discover their weaknesses, filing away his observations for later use. He had, however, done a bit of stealing in the towns they'd passed through; a bit of jewellery and some coins.

Ensign Matthews had accompanied them and had been easy to keep distracted and obeying Obadiah's every "suggestion". Hakeswill saw that the young officer didn't agree with every suggestion he made, but also that he was too fearful of openly opposing the intimidating sergeant. He intended to keep up the intimidation factor, in order to discourage the ensign from rebelling. It didn't matter much, at any rate, as the green officer would most likely die in the first battle, anyway. Too young to leave his mother, he was, in Obadiah's estimable opinion.

As they entered the small town, Obadiah noticed several of the men noticeably lagging. Normally, this would be an occasion to give the miscreants a thorough tongue lashing, but because it worked well into his plans, he'd let it go this one time. There would be plenty of time for that later.

Turning to the group of slowly marching men, he bawled, "Halt!" As the men meekly obeyed, he continued, "Time for a rest break, it is. Not that you lazy sods deserves it, mind you, but you needs to make yourselves presentable for your new captain to see!"

"Sergeant?" Ensign Matthews was puzzled as to why Hakeswill had given the men a rest break.

"Might be a good idea for the men rest their feet and have a drink before meetin' their new captain, it would," the sergeant explained patiently. "Gives them a few minutes to comb their hair and brush off their uniforms, it will, so's they'll be looking spanking when the captain inspects them, see?"

"Oh, yes, of course, Sergeant Hakeswill," Matthews said distractedly. "I hadn't thought of that."

Hakeswill rolled his eyes at the clueless young officer, thinking to himself that there wasn't much that Matthew _had_ thought of.

"Maybe you'd like to go find the captain, while I stays here with the man, sir, eh?" Hakeswill prodded, twitching. "Let him know we've arrived and all, sir."

"Oh, ah, er, yes, Sergeant," Matthews stammered. "That's a good idea. I shouldn't be gone long."

In fact, Matthews was relieved to get to be away from Hakeswill's malevolent presence, even if just for a little while. If he was lucky, he'd not have to deal closely with the twitching sergeant once they integrated with the rest of the company.

Obadiah cackled as he watched the nervous young officer scuttle away. He eased himself down on the front step of a house to take a load off for awhile, as the men did likewise. His eyes gleamed as he imagined the reaction Sharpie would have when he saw his old sergeant once again.

Matthews returned about twenty minutes later. The men had done the best they could to get the worst of the road grime off their uniforms and had combed their hair and washed their faces. It was only a small improvement, but it would have to do.

The diminutive officer hurried over to Hakeswill, who was now prowling among the men, hectoring them to hurry up with their grooming efforts.

"Captain Sharpe is ready to see us, Sergeant," Matthews reported. "Shall we march them in, then?"

"Right away, sir," Hakeswill barked, cackling.

A few minutes later, the group turned the corner, where several officers and men were milling about. Obadiah spotted Richard Sharpe right away, standing by a cistern in shirtsleeves and with wet hair. As he watched his old nemesis throw on a green rifleman's jacket, he realized that Sharpie hadn't spotted him yet. Cackling again, he knew that was about to change.

"Detachment! Halt!" Hakeswill bellowed, in his best drill sergeant's voice. "Rigggghhhht face!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Obadiah saw Sharpe's head snap in his direction and the gobsmacked expression on his face. Chortling with glee, he left the men at attention, pushed past Matthews and walked boldly to where the officer was still staring in open mouth shock.

"Oh, my word, what a surprise," Hakeswill murmured, meeting his enemy's eye with an insolent expression, eyes narrowed. "Sharpie."

"Not dead yet, Hakeswill?" Sharpe sneered, looking at the older man with sheer loathing. "Ah, that's right, I almost forgot. You're indestructible. Unfortunately."

Not waiting for the scrawny sergeant to reply, he continued, "And Captain Morris? What about him?"

Not fazed In the slightest by Sharpe's overt hostility, as it indicated that he still had power over the upstart officer, Hakeswill replied smugly, "_Major_ Morris, sir. Hale and hearty in Dublin, now, sir."

"And _you've_ come to _me_," Sharpe observed acidly.

"Ever such a long way, sir," Obadiah murmured, his tone velvet, with almost a smirk on his face. "I was despairin'…"

"Left face!" Sharpe suddenly barked, cutting him off. "Quick march!"

Obadiah obeyed instinctively, knowing he could do nothing else if he wanted to ingratiate himself with other officers and to avoid punishment. There was a wall only about twelve feet to the left, but there was nothing for it, so he marched right up to it and stopped.

Sharpe, right on the sergeant's heels, grabbed the back of his bald head underneath the shako and turned it toward him. Outraged, Hakeswill raised one eyebrow as he glared at the younger man with pure malevolence, eyes glittering. How dare he humiliate him like this in front of his men and that boy officer, Matthews? Sharpie would pay, he vowed silently to himself.

Undaunted by the sergeant's baleful expression, Sharpe leaned in close and threatened, "You lay a finger on any of my men, Sergeant, and I'll bloody kill you."

With that, Sharpe removed his hand from Hakeswill's head, then stalked off without dismissing him. Obadiah would be obliged to remain in that position until Sharpe dismissed him. Seething, he listened as the bleeding sod went over to his men to address them.

A minute or two later, he overheard Sharpe speak to young Matthews: "Mr Matthews, get that wretch out of my sight." Then after a pause, "No, I'll do it."

Walking a bit closer to where the sergeant was still facing the wall, he called out, "Sergeant Hakeswill!"

"Sir!" His tone did not betray the seething rage he felt.

"You may fall out," Sharpe snapped, his tone smarmy.

"Thank you, sir."

After Sharpe had returned his attention to the men, Obadiah removed his shako and rubbed the back of his head, as if to remove the taint of Sharpe's touch from his skin. He spied a stable a few steps away on the other side of the street and decided to take refuge in there for awhile and be alone with his thoughts. He made note of a big, dark haired sergeant, also in rifle green, loitering by the side of a building, but otherwise didn't give him much thought.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Meanwhile, back at Throckmorton Cottage, Anna and Catherine had settled down into a routine in their new home without Obadiah being around. At first, Anna had been melancholy, pining for her absent husband and worrying for his safety. But the needs of her family did not allow her the luxury of wallowing in those feelings for too long. She threw herself into keeping the children busy, particularly with their lessons, which also helped to distract her as well. Barry had taught her how to play chess, and Anna found it an enjoyable way to pass an evening, while listening to Bridget's growing proficiency with the pianoforte as Catherine continued with her lessons. Inspired by her daughter's quick progress, Anna began to play the instrument herself. She'd not played one since her teen years but even though her skills were rusty, she was able to regain all that she'd lost and was able to help Catherine with Bridget's lessons.

On the same day that Obadiah had arrived in Elvas with his men, Anna had awakened that morning not feeling well.

As she joined Catherine and the children for breakfast, the smell of eggs cooking overwhelmed her. Quickly excusing herself, she ran outside to the outhouse, where she proceeded to lose what little food remained in her stomach from the night before.

When she returned to the table, Catherine looked up at her in concern. "Are you all right? You looked a little green when you left so quickly."

Giving her aunt a wan smile, she replied, "There's nothing wrong with me that several months won't cure. It seems that Obadiah left me something to remember him by, after all."

"Are you sure?" the older woman asked.

"I'm almost positive," Anna replied firmly. "I felt this way the other times."

"We'll have to get Sally Barnes to come over and take a look at you," her aunt decided. "Then we'll have a better idea."

"I can't wait for Obadiah's next letter to arrive," the younger woman said. "I wish he was here, so I could tell him right away."

"There should be a letter coming before too long, I would imagine," Catherine said. "He has likely arrived in Portugal by now."

"You're right, of course," Anna murmured. "I hate to think that he won't be here when the baby comes."

"It is a shame," Catherine agreed. "But you'll give him something to look forward to when he does come home."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After closing the stable door behind him, Obadiah Hakeswill found a nice clean stall to rest in for awhile. He set his shako upside down on his lap and took out the small bag of loot he had in there, which had been lodged in the sweatband. He leaned against the stall wall, relaxing, as he counted the coins and took a closer look at the jewellery he'd swiped. He sighed, thinking of the opportunities to steal that would soon be available to him.

A short time later, Obadiah heard the stable door creak open, then the careful footsteps of someone carrying a heavy object. Setting his shako aside, he carefully peered around the corner of the stall to see who was disturbing his privacy. He was in no mood to deal with the obnoxious Richard Sharpe again quite so soon.

He was pleasantly surprised to see a tall, attractive women wearing men's trousers throwing a saddle over the wall of another stall. She was obviously a whore, as no decent woman wore trousers and he knew that proper Portuguese and Spanish women did not go around in public unaccompanied by a chaperone of some sort. He knew she wasn't an Englishwoman by the style of her clothing and by her olive complexion.

Obadiah decided to take advantage of the sudden opportunity. He'd not had any since leaving Anna, weeks ago, and the itch had now built to nearly an unbearable level. The randy sergeant knew he needed a scratching sooner, rather than later. Though he would have preferred to lie with his own sweet wife, she was not here. And because he felt nearly ready to burst from the unrelieved need and because Anna would not be available to him for a year or more, he'd known he would have his itches scratched elsewhere while he was away. He was a healthy man, and men had their needs, after all. There wasn't any way on God's green Earth that he would remain celibate for all that time.

Standing up quickly, he brushed straw from his uniform, then stepped around the corner to reveal himself to the pretty whore. Not only was she pretty, but she looked clean, which meant she was likely an expensive ride. No matter, Obadiah had the coins for it.

"Hello, missy!" Obadiah said to the startled woman, grinning widely, as he suddenly appeared before her, coins showing in his open palm after he'd stuffed the jewellery into his haversack. "Speak English, do you?"

"What do you want?" Teresa Moreno demanded warily. She didn't like the looks of this man at all.

"What do you think I want, missy?" Obadiah snapped, puzzled. Did the whore think she was too good for him? Was she officers' meat? He didn't hold with any of that nonsense. He had the money and, by God, he was going to have her, whether she liked it or not. "I've just got here to Portugal after bein' cooped up for weeks on a stinkin' ship. I've got me a powerful itch and you're the woman to scratch it for me." Gesturing to his hand, he continued, 'I got the money to pay you proper, see?"

Backing carefully away from the aroused sergeant, she sneered at him and said, "I am not a whore. You need to find your pleasure elsewhere, Sergeant."

"Sure you are!' he insisted, twitching in irritation. "You ain't wearing proper women's clothing and here you are gallivantin' among soldiers without a proper escort. I means to have you and that's just what I'm going to do, too."

Now, almost completely put out, he gave her a light shove, causing her to fall back to land on her bum in the straw. Looming over her, he said softly, "Now…take off them trousers, then open your legs ever so wide and lie still as a dead 'un. I won't take long, then you can be on your way to find you another customer. No need to be afraid, I don't want to hurt you; I just needs to have you, is all."

As she shifted and put her hand to her waistband, seemingly to comply, he relaxed, then purred, "That's it," while moving his fingers to the buttons of his own trousers, with him now completely ready to take her.

A moment later, the bint unexpectedly sprang up and cut his hand with a dagger, having reached for it, while appearing to unbutton her trousers.

Backing away, he immediately drew his own bayonet from its scabbard, mentally cursing himself for letting down his guard, knowing that his desire had blunted his usual common sense.

Brandishing the weapon at her, he twitched again, then growled, "Come on, now, missy. You've had your fun, now let me have mine, eh? I don't think I've ever seen a whore less eager to make money than you are."

Sneering at the scrawny sergeant, she spat out, "Your mother was a pox-ridden sow, who sold herself to a toad!"

Now having completely lost his temper, he lunged at the uncooperative whore with his bayonet. No one insulted his mother and got away with it, especially not a whore.

But she was prepared for him, dagger at the ready and they danced around one another, feinting and jabbing.

"Like it rough, do you, missy?" Obadiah rasped, twitching yet again. "I'll give it to you rough, if that's the way you wants it, eh?" He sprang forward, giving her a glancing cut on the arm. There was no doubt the woman was a whore, as well as she fought. No real lady would have been anywhere near a match for him.

At that moment, the stable door opened to reveal the tall, dark-haired rifle sergeant he'd seen before. Without saying a word, the big man immediately stepped in to separate Obadiah from the whore, then head butted him, sending him sprawling into the straw. Sticking his head outside the stable door, the big man bellowed in a strong Irish brogue, "Mr Sharpe! Sir! Come quick!"

Turning back to the woman, the Irishman asked in a softer voice, "Miss Teresa, ma'am. Are you all right?"

As Richard Sharpe came in through the open door of the stable, Teresa pointed to Hakeswill, still sprawled into the hay. "He thought he might enjoy me and would not take no for an answer."

Sergeant Harper glared at his fellow sergeant. "Permission given to carry on and murder him, sir?"

Looking down at the rawboned sergeant, now swollen and bleeding from a cut to his forehead, Sharpe could barely control his temper, knowing what would have happened if Patrick Harper had not gone into the stable when he did.

Moving to stand over the fallen man, Sharpe barked, "Up!" When the older man did not immediately move, he bellowed again. "Get up!"

Hakeswill, figuring he was about to get an arse kicking, scrambled to his feet, still hurting from the Irishman's hard head. Finally, he stood, miserably facing Richard Sharpe, as blood trickled on his cheek.

"Officer's meat, is she, sir?" Obadiah sneered, his tone insolent. "Portuguese whore?" Looking again at Teresa, he continued, "Tenho rendimentos. How much, senwhora?" Hakeswill hadn't been in Portugal for three days, but he'd already learned the words to let a whore know he could pay her price.

"Shut your gob and listen," Sharpe said, refusing to rise to Obadiah's bait. "Three rules I have. Do you hear me, Sergeant?"

"Sir!" Hakeswill barked, wondering what the hell Sharpie was on about. He realized now that this was not any common whore, but that she was Sharpie's whore, if the looks passed between the two were any indication.

"Sharpe's rules, by which I regulate the Light Company," the officer continued in an oddly calm voice. "First, fight well, fight hard. I know you can do that Sergeant, because I've seen you fight before. Second, don't get drunk unless I tell you. Third, steal nothing but from the enemy or when starving."

Hakeswill repressed the urge to roll his eyes at the last rule. The only reason he'd gone back on active duty was to steal and no upstart officer from the gutter was going to keep him from that.

Sharpe, unaware of Hakeswill's scornful thoughts, went on, "Now, stand up straight. Arms down where they should be! Atten…shun!"

The sergeant automatically obeyed, but twitched after coming to attention, after which Sharpe sucker punched him in the stomach.

Refusing to give in to the pain, Hakeswill immediately straightened up again.

"Ooh," Harper jeered from the doorway. "You see, you don't move when an officer's talking to you. You should _know_ that."

"Unless you want to hit me, Obadiah?" Sharpe taunted.

"Obadiah?" the Irish sergeant mocked. "What the devil kind of a name is that?"

Hakeswill kept his mouth clamped shut, but glared at the Irishman out of the corner of his eye. He knew he'd have to neutralize this man if he was going to have any sort of success stealing within the light company. Obadiah knew he'd need to have him busted in rank at the very least - or kill him if it came to that."

"Dead if you strike an officer, Obadiah," Sharpe baited. "Oh, but he can't die, so he says."

Grabbing hold of Hakeswill's chin, he tilted it up to reveal the hanging scar on his neck to Teresa and Harper. "See his neck? They tried to hang him once, but it didn't kill him."

Teresa moved close to Obadiah, no longer afraid of him. Sliding her dagger almost seductively down the side of his face, she said coldly, "I can kill him."

"Every battle some try," Sharpe told her. Turning to glare balefully at the sergeant again, he continued, "See how he stands at attention? Never disobeys an officer, do you, Obadiah?" Not expecting an answer, he went on scornfully, "Why, they _love_ him - except me, of course. I'm wise to all his tricks."

Looking back at the other two, he explained, "I could kill him here and now without a second thought, but it needs to be done in front of his victims. It is my duty to them to see it done properly and in public. For he is evil, is Obadiah."

Now thoroughly disgusted by the sight of Obadiah Hakeswill, the officer turned back to him. "Get out." When the other man didn't move fast enough, he repeated, "Out. OUT!"

Just as sick of the self-righteous Sharpe as he was of him, Obadiah moved to leave the stable. As he passed the Irish Sergeant, he paused, not able to resist a little dig at him. "And you're as filthy an Irishman, as I ever did see," he muttered in his best imitation of an Irish brogue.

Not surprisingly, Harper made no attempt to control himself, but knocked the smaller sergeant to the ground and began to brawl with him. When Sharpe tried to break it up, he ended up getting pulled into the fracas and this was how the new Colonel, Windham, found them a few moments later, rolling around in a mud puddle in the middle of the street..

Once Obadiah had left the two riflemen shortly thereafter, heading for camp, he cackled to himself, knowing that at least old Sharpie had made a bad impression on his new commanding officer. And if the rumours were true, Sharpe was about to be busted back, anyway, when Captain Rymer arrived to assume the Captain's position. He vowed to himself to make as much trouble for his nemesis as he possibly could and was determined to exact his revenge on Harper, who was no doubt Sharpie's lackey. When Obadiah was through with Patrick Harper, he'd be of no use whatsoever to Richard Sharpe. He'd kill them both, if he ever got a good chance of doing it without being caught.

As for Sharpie's whore, Obadiah was more determined to have her now than ever. The pleasure would be that much more, knowing he'd be sullying the arrogant officer's woman. He'd just have to wait until the right opportunity presented itself.

After setting up his tent some time later and getting some supper, he looked at Anna's portrait and stroked the lock of her hair before writing yet another letter to her. He told her of how much he missed her but naturally did not mention much about the day's events in the letter. Once finished, he kissed Anna's portrait, before settling himself down to sleep.


	37. Camp Life

The day after his encounter with Teresa Moreno, which had been so rudely thwarted by the meddlesome Sergeant Harper, Obadiah's first order of business was to find a whore to scratch his now unbearable itch. He'd asked a sergeant in another company where the town whores were and after being told, he went and had his need attended to right away. Though the Portuguese prostitute was nowhere near as attractive as Sharpie's whore, she did help take some of the edge off, which would keep him for awhile.

After returning to the campsite, now more relaxed and at ease, Hakeswill found Newkirk sitting on a tree stump, whitening his crossbelt. The sergeant took off his own crossbelt and tossed it to the young private.

"Here, do mine, too," Hakeswill said gruffly. "I needs an excuse to stand here talking to you, I do."

"Where have you been, Sarge?" Newkirk asked hesitantly. "That Sergeant Harper was nosing 'round here just a little bit ago, asking all sorts of questions about you."

"Never you mind, boy," the rawboned sergeant growled, twitching. "Just had me some urgent business that needed tending to right away, I did."

The camp had been talking all morning about Obadiah Hakeswill brawling over a woman with Captain Sharpe and Sergeant Harper, so Newkirk was easily able to fill in the blanks about what the sergeant's urgent business might be. He resisted the desire to roll his eyes and merely waited for Hakeswill to continue.

"I'm not surprised, the filthy, nosey Irishman," Obadiah spat, twitching again. "That one's going to be trouble, he is. He's Sharpie's lackey, that's what he is."

"Why don't Captain Sharpe like you?" Newkirk asked hesitantly. "I saw what he did to you and you'd done nothing but go report to him."

"Not that it's any of your business, boy, but I'll tell you, anyway, 'cos I got nothing to hide, see?" the sergeant said. "I was the one what recruited Sharpie into the army, years ago. He was on the run from the law, 'cos he done murdered a man over a woman, and I recruited him and gave him a home in the army." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "But Sharpie was a lazy bugger who thought he was too good for some kinds of duty. Thought he was better than everyone else, he did, even though he came from the gutter, same as me. I had him flogged to show him the error of his ways and he's resented me ever since, he has."

Newkirk didn't comment, but was glad yet again he was on Hakeswill's good side.

"Anyways, I done come over here to talk to you about Harper," Hakeswill continued, getting to the point. "I needs you to watch him and keep up with what he does. You needs to tell me anything suspicious you sees him do, 'specially if it has something to do with me. If you wants to do any stealin' without getting caught, we needs to know where the Irish bastard is at all times. He don't know you, so it will be easier for you to keep an eye on him all the time than it would be for me."

"Shouldn't be too hard to do," Newkirk said confidently. "He won't notice me at all."

"Be careful," Hakeswill warned. "He ain't as stupid as he looks."

"Don't worry, Sarge," the younger man assured him. "I'll be careful. After all, I learned from the best."

"That you did, boy," Obadiah said, cackling. "Just remember what I've taught you, and there shouldn't be no problems."

Later that day, Richard Sharpe was demoted back to lieutenant, when Captain Rymer arrived to take over the Light Company. Newkirk had been loitering near Colonel Windham's tent on the opposite side from the entrance and had heard everything.

Obadiah Hakeswill had been in camp, partially hidden behind a tree, but close enough to see Richard Sharpe emerging from the tent, looking disgusted. As he watched Sharpe stalk off, he cackled gleefully at whatever the officer's misfortune was, Newkirk came up beside him, saying, "I knows why he's acting that way."

"What are you waitin' for, boy," Hakeswill said, twitching in impatience. "Out with it!"

"I was just outside the Colonel's tent on the far side and I heard everything they said," Newkirk reported. "They done bumped Sharpe back to Lieutenant, 'cos Captain Rymer is to command the Light Company."

Rubbing his hands together gleefully, Obadiah crowed, "Serves him right, the jumped-up bastard. Colonel Windham's a good man who knows that rankers don't make good officers."

"And not only did he demote him," the younger man continued, "He's made him a company clerk of sorts. He's done put him in charge of the baggage and the women!"

Obadiah began to laugh so hard that he had to lean against a nearby tree to support himself. "Perfect job for him! He'll hate doin' that and he'll be complainin' 'fore you knows it, 'cos he thinks he's too good for that kind of work. And he won't help himself none at all by that attitude. That's how he got himself flogged back in India, see?" Thinks he's the bleedin' Prince of Wales, he does."

"I wouldn't mind having that job," Newkirk mused. "Plenty of opportunities for stealing and whoring that way."

"Anyone with any sense would want it," Obadiah agreed. "And just for the reasons you mentioned, too. But someone like me, who has a wife and family, don't need to be out front leadin' no forlorn hopes. Much safer handling women and baggage, it is."

"Rumour has it that he does have a daughter - by that woman from the stable," the younger man reported, rubbing the stubble on his chin.

"Is that so?" Hakeswill said. "Figures he'd spawn a bastard off a whore." The thought of it made Obadiah even more convinced now that she was a whore. "What kind of mother would go gallivantin' around with soldiers when she should be at home takin' care of her little 'un, I'd like to know. Shameful, it is."

Turning to leave, he added, "Now that Sharpie's not in command of the light company no more, I intends to make sure that green coated bunch of his does some real work. They're not any better than the rest of you men, with their green coats and rifles and such. Mark my words, I'll have them buggers in red and carrying, muskets just like the rest of you lads. They're in the South Essex now, not the bleedin' 95th Rifles."

Over the next few days, Sergeant Hakeswill quickly became acclimated to Portugal and his new unit. He observed the men of the light company closely, quickly spotting weaknesses and vulnerabilities for future exploitation, making note of which ones had wives, which would aid in their exploitation. The sergeant also assessed those who would make useful toadies, who would do anything to get on his good side. He would make use of them as well, but in different ways.

One morning, Hakeswill went down to check on the donkey he'd recently acquired for himself. Sergeants weren't allowed to ride horses, but they could ride donkeys. After ascertaining that the animal was properly fed and watered, he noticed Richard Sharpe conducting an inspection of the camp women for Colonel Windham. Having wanted to inspect the women himself, but for far different purposes than the Colonel had in mind, he settled himself down on the ground, behind the fence, to watch while he had himself a smoke.

Obadiah sat up straighter and watched more intently when one of the woman opened her bodice and began to nurse her baby. Sharpe continued with the inspection, no doubt getting himself a good look at close range, the sergeant thought to himself, cackling. As he continued to stare at the comely woman, he knew he had to have her.

A moment later, Newkirk joined him, interrupting his lascivious ruminating

"Glad you're here, Newkirk," Hakeswill said, twitching. "Do you know whose wife that is over there showin' her tits? I means to have that one, I do."

Newkirk followed the sergeant's gaze, then said, "Oh, that's Sally Clayton, Private Clayton's wife. All of me messmates wants her."

"They'll have to wait their turn, then," the sergeant snapped in irritation. "Sergeants first, it is." Sighing appreciatively as he watched Sally Clayton tie her bodice closed again, he asked, "Which one's Clayton. I ain't got all their names straight yet."

"He's the big, fat private with brown hair," Newkirk supplied. "He's one of Sergeant Harper's favourites."

"I knows who you means, now," Obadiah said. "Seems like Private Clayton is about to start losin' some of his equipment, he is." Turning to face Newkirk, he told him, "I wants you to steal his belt or his haversack; whatever you can lay hands on without him noticing right away."

"Sure, Sarge," Newkirk said. "What do you wants me to do with it?"

"Don't matter, just so's nobody can help him find it," Hakeswill told him. "Throw it in the river, I don't care. I means to have an inspection first thing in the morning, hopefully when the wives are around. In my experience, they'll do anything to keep their men from getting flogged."

Very early the next morning, Sergeant Hakeswill called the surprise inspection. As he surveyed the group of privates, who were nervously standing at attention, he came upon Private Clayton. He was the most nervous one of all, having discovered that his haversack was missing moments before being called to attention, which hadn't given him any time to search for it. Only Private Newkirk was unconcerned, having earlier disposed of Clayton's haversack into the nearby creek. He stood impassively, his expression blank, as Hakeswill scrutinized each man carefully.

Stopping before the miserable Private Clayton with one eyebrow raised, he demanded, "Where's your haversack, Clayton?"

Gulping nervously, the hapless soldier replied, "Don't know, Sergeant. I had it last night, but it was gone this morning."

"Listen to him," Hakeswill said, chortling. "He don't know where his haversack is. Careless, is what it is, not takin' care of the equipment the army provides him. You knows I can have you flogged for this, Clayton."

The large private sagged visibly at the mere thought of being flogged. He'd seen it done to others and the typical results of such a punishment frightened him.

The veteran sergeant reacted instantly, giving Clayton a sucker punch to the gut, which made him stagger slightly.

Seeing Hakeswill's murderous expression, he quickly straightened up before the hard bitten sergeant could get in another blow.

"You stands still and at attention when a sergeant speaks to you, you filthy bugger," Hakeswill barked at him, twitching.

He circled the unhappy soldier, glaring at him balefully. Sally Clayton stood anxiously nearby, in front of their tent, witnessing the humiliation the rawboned sergeant was giving her man.

"You deserves to be flogged for not takin' care of your equipment, you do," Hakeswill told him, his tone serious. "I've done had men flogged for it before and it does wonders for aidin' a man's memory, see?"

Seeing the terror in the man's eyes, he continued, "But I'm a fair man. I'm prepared to let it go just this one time, if you gives me a guinea to do it." He said this, knowing full well that no private would have that much money available,

"Sergeant Hakeswill," Clayton said nervously. "I don't have that kind of money. There isn't any way I could pay that."

"I thinks I can still help you out, Private," the sergeant said in almost an affable tone, watching the man sweat. "I've noticed your wife, Clayton. Pretty little whore, she is."

"She is not a whore!' Clayton choked out indignantly.

"I heard her talking yesterday about doing a Crapaud officer the last time the baggage train was left behind," Hakeswill calmly informed him, ignoring the soldier's outburst. "Sounds like a whore to me, it does."

"I don't believe you," Clayton insisted, then glanced at his wife, whose miserable expression told him that Hakeswill was telling him the truth.

"Just ask that one over there," Hakeswill said, pointing to Sally's friend, Lil. "She'll tell you."

When Clayton didn't reply, as Obadiah knew he wouldn't, he continued, "I done seen her tits yesterday, Clayton. If your wife comes to me and lets me have her, I'll forget about havin' you flogged."

"No, you shall not have her!" the private declared, disgusted by the very thought of it.

"I means to lay my hands on them tits, make no bones, but I will," he said, looking the unfortunate man in the eye. "Be warned. When Obadiah's up, he's up like an animal! Do yourself a favour, Clayton. Have her come to me willingly and you won't get flogged and it will go easier on her, besides."

Before Private Clayton could say another word, Sally rushed up to them. "Don't be foolish, George!" she begged. "I don't wants to see you hurt none. It would break me heart." Turning to face an amused Obadiah Hakeswill, she said stoutly, "I'll do it. Just tell me where and when."

Cackling, he told her, "You done the right thing, missy. My tent. Right now."

After dismissing the men, he took her arm to guide the nervous woman to his tent.

"Watch the boys, George," Sally called out as Hakeswill led her away. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Clayton stood watching helplessly for a long moment as Hakeswill led her away, before reluctantly turning to go tend to the children.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Several days later, Sergeant Hakeswill accompanied Captain Rymer as he inspected the men of the light company, as the Sergeant Major was busy elsewhere and he was the senior of the regular sergeants. Obadiah looked for any opportunity to spend time with the new captain, ingratiating himself with the officer and making himself indispensable to him.

All was routine until Hakeswill led him to the small group of riflemen. Rymer took one look at the motley green-coated group and frowned in disapproval. Sergeant Harper was not present, having gone off with Sharpe on an errand.

'Why are these men here?" Rymer demanded. "They are dressed differently. Are they not of the South Essex regiment?"

"These are Lieutenant Sharpe's men, sir," Hakeswill replied. "Part of the South Essex, they are, but I don't know why they still wears them green rags, when they could be spanking in red, sir. Not proper at all, it ain't, sir."

"No it isn't, Sergeant," Rymer agreed, still frowning at the men. "I want them dressed properly and with the correct weapons by the time we attack at Badajoz. I will bring the matter to the attention of Colonel Windham at my earliest opportunity. It's not good for unit cohesion if they insist on wearing the uniform of another regiment."

"Couldn't agree with you more, sir," Sergeant Hakeswill said, grinning evilly at the green-coated riflemen. If he had anything to say about it, it wouldn't be business as usual for much longer for Richard Sharpe and his cronies.

"I trust that I will be able to depend on you to get these men shaped up, Sergeant Hakeswill," the young captain said confidently.

"You can depend on me, sir," Hakeswill said, twitching, before snapping off a smart salute.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Late one morning nearly two weeks later, the camp was making preparations to leave, as orders had come down to make the move to Badajoz. Obadiah Hakeswill was eager to go, ready to leave Elvas behind. He knew that the opportunity to pillage and plunder in Badajoz would likely be the most lucrative opportunity he was likely to get in the entire time he'd be away from home. He'd overheard men talking about the recent sacking of Cuidad Rodrigo, where quite a few men had made out like bandits, so Hakeswill knew the likelihood was high that the same would happen once they took Badajoz.

As he supervised a detachment loading baggage, a post rider rode into the camp, carrying the post for the company. Obadiah hadn't yet had a letter from Anna since leaving home and he was beginning to be concerned. As he dismissed the men for mail call, he thought it was about time for him to get a letter, so he followed the men over to the table where the letters were being handed out.

The sergeant leaned against a tree watching as names were called and men stepped forward to claim their letters. Some of the men who got letters couldn't read, but there was always someone in camp who could and would read them their letters. Not for the first time, Obadiah was glad he could read, because he'd not want to share the intimate exchanges between him and his wife with anyone.

"Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill!"

Obadiah's head snapped up at the mention of his name. Finally, a letter from Anna! After stepping forward to get the letter, he went to sit by the tree to read it right away. So glad he was to get a letter, that he was oblivious to the comments of the men around him, wondering who in the hell would write to this miserable bastard.

A genuine smile appeared on his bony face as he saw his beloved Anna's handwriting. Opening the letter eagerly, he began to read.

_Dearest Obadiah,_

_I received both your letters most eagerly and I am quite relieved to know you have arrived safely in Portugal._

_Though the children and I are all well, we all miss your strong and steady presence at home. I particularly pine for you and I long ever so much to hold you in my arms once again. Though Aunt Catherine and the children keep me diverted during the day, it is at night, when I'm lying alone in our bed that I miss you the most. I often look at your portrait, which I wear always around my neck. I must admit that I sometimes even talk to it, desperately hoping that you might somehow feel the depth of the love I have for you, my sweet Obadiah…_

Obadiah pressed his eyes closed for a moment, thinking of how he, too, spoke to her portrait in the darkness of his tent every night just before going to sleep. Returning his attention to the letter, he continued reading.

_I have some wonderful news for you that I am sure will give you comfort during the lonely times. A few weeks after you left, I realized that you had left me with a little souvenir. Yes - I am to have another baby! Our new child should be born some time in late August or early September. I am quite healthy and the midwife believes that there will be no problems this time, but I spend quite a bit of time resting, just to make sure. It grieves me that you will not be here for the birth, but I will manage with Aunt Catherine and the children to look after me. I implore you to take extra special care of yourself and come home soonest to see our new son or daughter._

_Praying for you and thinking of you constantly, I long for the day you return home safely to me._

_With all my heartfelt love,_

_Your Anna._

_PS: Barry wanted me to tell you that he's diligently practicing with the pistol, as is Bridget with the pianoforte. Will also said that he's working hard on his reading and ciphering and wants you to come home as quickly as you can. Aunt Catherine also sends her best regards._

After folding the letter, he stuck it in his jacket pocket, meaning to read it again later. He called the men to attention, ordering them back to work.

Newkirk, noticing the wide grin on his face, asked, "Good news from home, Sarge?"

"The best," Obadiah assured him, still grinning. "My sweet wife wrote and told me that she's havin' another baby. It seems I done gave her a bellyful just before I left home."


	38. On the Road to Badajoz

Early the next morning, the light company was on its way to the Spanish border, heading to Badajoz to prepare to begin a siege of the fortified town. Sergeant Harper had been assigned to watch the new recruits along the march, which left the green-coated riflemen to Obadiah Hakeswill's tender ministrations.

As the entire company was about to head out, Sergeant Hakeswill made a beeline to where the riflemen were collecting their gear. At first, the men purposely ignored the scrawny sergeant, which obliged him to formally call them to attention.

"Ten…SHUN," Hakeswill bawled, irritated by the slowness by which these men reluctantly obeyed his orders. "Quit dawdling, you lazy sons of bitches and listen up!"

The veteran sergeant knew that he was going to enjoy breaking these men and making proper soldiers out of them in the coming weeks. Sharpie had been coddling this lot of motley miscreants, but all that was about to come to an end, now that Obadiah was here. These shiftless bastards would learn to work hard, like soldiers were meant to do, if he had anything to say about it. New, red uniforms had not yet arrived for them, but there was no reason not to work them hard in the meantime.

Pointing to a wagon filled with shovels and other tools, he told them, "You needs to go along with that wagon and guard it. It's filled with tools to be diggin' trenches with, which is what you lot will be doing once we gets to Badajoz."

The riflemen each glanced at each other in dismay. They'd never before been asked to do such menial tasks like ordinary infantrymen. They were riflemen - the elite - and didn't do common labour.

Noticing the disgruntled looks on their faces, Hakeswill twitched, then sneered, "Thinks you're too good for diggin', eh? I got news for you; you ain't no better than no other soldier, so's you can do any kind of work, just like anybody else."

Walking back and forth in front of the unhappy riflemen, he glared balefully at them. "Any man jack of you who don't wants to follow orders, just step right up, and I'll have you flogged for disobeying a direct order, mark my words." He paused for a moment, then demanded, "Well? Any takers."

When nobody moved, Obadiah cackled, then muttered, "I didn't think so." Pointing to the wagon again, he urged, "Now get to it, 'cos we'll be moving out shortly."

As the group of green coated men grudgingly obeyed Hakeswill, grumbling incoherently as they walked to the wagon, Obadiah cackled again gleefully as he went to find his donkey. He'd be riding it up and down the line of march, but he'd not stray far from the group of riflemen, as he intended to keep a sharp eye on them, just in case one of them slipped and did something he could punish them for.

Noticing Private Clayton standing around nearby, doing nothing, he pointed at him and barked. "You, too, you lazy bastard. You're going to earn your pay for once today!"

Clayton sighed loudly, then trudged slowly to follow the others.

Several hours later, Obadiah Hakeswill was riding alongside the long column, a little ways back from the detail accompanying the wagon full of shovels. He squirmed frequently as he proceeded down the rutted road, his bony arse now nearly numb. A donkey was better than walking all the way and wearing out boot leather, but at this moment he missed his old horse, Trouble, more than ever. While the column continued to slowly trudge along, Obadiah stopped the donkey, then ran behind a bush to take a leak.

Returning to the patiently waiting animal moments later, Hakeswill felt somewhat more comfortable with an empty bladder as he began moving forward again. As he went around a bend in the road, he saw that the equipment wagon had gone slightly off the road, tipping part of its contents into a ditch.

He scowled as he spied Richard Sharpe talking to the men, who had been struggling to right the wagon before he arrived.

No sooner had he spotted his nemesis than Sharpe summoned him.

"Come here, Sergeant!" Sharpe called out in a peremptory tone.

Obadiah decided to pretend to be befuddled. "Who sir? Me, sir? Yes, sir." He got off the donkey and walked briskly over to where the blond headed officer was standing, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"What does a Chosen Man do with shovels, Hakeswill?" Sharpe demanded in irritation.

"Chose man, sir?" Hakeswill didn't have to pretend confusion on this one. He'd never heard the term before.

Pulling on one of the riflemen's sleeves to call attention to a horizontal white stripe on it, Sharpe said "What do you think this is, eh, Obadiah?"

"Bless me, Lieutenant, sir!" Hakeswill said in a bemused tone. "It's a stripe, sir!"

"I know it's a stripe, Sergeant," Sharpe said, rolling his eyes in frustration, as he let go of the rifleman's sleeve. "This man is a soldier, not a labourer. Chosen Men do not do duty except under arms."

"Well, I never, Lieutenant, sir!" Hakeswill shot back, twitching to cover up him rolling his eyes in return. It was apparent to him that nothing had changed with Richard Sharpe since India. He was still the same filthy scum that thought the rules were for other soldiers and not for him and his cronies.

"You waste men, Obadiah," Sharpe sneered in disgust. "It's your pleasure."

"Work needed doin' sir," Hakeswill said stoutly, entirely without apology. "These men wasn't doin' nothing, so I put them to work, I did."

Ignoring the sergeant, Sharpe turned to the oldest rifleman and asked, "Where's your rifle, Hagman?"

"It's been taken from me, sir," Hagman said mournfully. "We're getting muskets, sir." After an outraged pause, he added, "Orders."

"Who gave such an order?" Sharpe demanded, thoroughly put out.

"Captain Rymer, sir," Hakeswill informed him, malevolently gleeful. "Gentleman who commands the light company, which you don't."

"Eh?" Sharpe was nonplussed.

"And they're going to look smart," the sergeant continued calmly. "In red coats and pipeclay, sir."

"What? Lose their green jackets?" Richard Sharpe could not believe his ears.

"Captain Rymer's orders, sir," Hakeswill reiterated, twitching. "On account of them bein' in the South Essex now, and not the 95th Rifles. Sir." Cackling contentedly, he added, "Look just as smart as the rest of us, they will."

Before Sharpe could comment, a wagon full of camp followers came around the bend. Sally Clayton, sitting inside the open wagon, saw her husband among the rifleman by the wagon

"I can see you, Private Clayton!" Sally called out playfully, not noticing Hakeswill standing nearby.

"Oh, my word. Sal!" Clayton replied, glad to see her happy and safe. He, too, had forgotten about Hakeswill's baleful presence.

Turning to Richard Sharpe, she admonished, "You look after him, Mr Sharpe. I want him kept whole."

"Go on Sal," Sharpe said, laughing. "Plenty more where he came from."

Sally fell silent then, when she finally noticed Hakeswill staring at her, shuddering as the wagon rolled on.

Standing close by, Obadiah leered at Sally, muttering, "Nice piece, that one was. Fine pair of tits she has, too."

Catching the last bit of what the scrawny sergeant had said, Sharpe whirled on him. "Begone!" He'd had enough of Obadiah Hakeswill for one day.

Cackling insolently, Obadiah strolled off, still muttering, "And I'll have her again, I will."

As he went to collect the donkey, he overheard Sharpe complaining to Major Nairn about the duties he'd been assigned to. Hakeswill shook his head when he heard Sharpie inform the superior officer that he wasn't a "bloody clerk", and then to beg to lead the Forlorn Hope in Badajoz.

Richard Sharpe hadn't changed at all; he was still just as conceited as ever, thinking that he and his men were above certain kinds of duty. And the stupid bugger had no earthly clue on how to manipulate superior officers - it was a bloody wonder how he'd managed to function as an officer at all, when he wasn't fit to be anything more than a private soldier.

Hakeswill was convinced that Sharpe was delusional to think that volunteering to lead a forlorn hope would get him anywhere. If he managed not to be killed and get himself promoted, he'd still not be accepted because he'd still be an ex-ranker to the officers born to it and would never fit in. The man hadn't learned how best to work the system to his advantage and never would. The sergeant chortled to himself as he mounted the donkey thinking that if he was lucky, Sharpie would end up as another useless casualty, lying dead on the breach into Badajoz. That is, unless he didn't get a chance to kill his nemesis, first.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Back in England, Anna Hakeswill sat in a comfortable chair in the sitting room as she re-read the last letter from Obadiah. Having lost her last two babies, she was taking extra special precautions to make sure this one would be born alive.

Earlier that day, the new Lady Perkins had paid her and Catherine, now the Dowager Lady Perkins, a call, at which time Catherine had tea served to her daughter in law. It had become painfully obvious to both women that this was merely a perfunctory social call, as stilted as the conversation had been. The younger woman did not like her mother in law; if she'd had her druthers, she'd have had Catherine ejected from the estate entirely.

The visit had been distressing for Anna, seeing her beloved aunt treated with barely concealed disdain. The woman had not endeared herself to the young mother when she'd asked about Obadiah and had then rolled her eyes and said "how amusing" when told he was a sergeant in the army. After hearing that, she'd spent the rest of the visit haughtily looking down her nose at Anna. Fortunately, the visit had been mercifully short, and now Anna was blissfully relaxing as Catherine finished giving Bridget her music lesson.

After she finished re-reading Obadiah's most recent letter, the pregnant women rose and walked back to the kitchen to see how dinner was progressing.

Anna smelled the mouth-watering aroma as she entered the room, but she was startled when she saw a young man sitting at the kitchen table as Mrs Harris prepared the food.

Noticing the confused expression on her employer's face, Mrs Harris said, "This is me son, Thomas, Mrs Hakeswill. He was workin' for an elderly lady in London, but when she died a few days ago, her son dismissed all the help. Now, he's come back to me 'til he can find himself another job."

"I…see," Anna said quietly.

Taking a deep breath, the cook asked, "Beggin' your pardon, Mrs Hakeswill, I was wonderin' if you and Lady Perkins might could use a man to help out 'round here. There's quite a bit of things that needs doin', but me and Bessie and Abby can't do ourselves. Men's work."

"It's not a bad idea," Anna said thoughtfully. "But I must discuss it with Lady Perkins before I can give you an answer."

"Thank you, Mrs Hakeswill," Thomas Harris said deferentially. He was a tall strapping young man in his early 30s. "I wouldn't need all that much pay beyond me room and board, I wouldn't."

"I'll let you know after I discuss it with Lady Perkins," Anna said with a smile. "Meanwhile, you can bunk in the stable. There's a room there for a servant, but I daresay that it will need to be cleaned before it's acceptably habitable."

"I'll do it meself," Thomas promised. "I know all about cleaning, I do."

"Excellent," Anna said, still smiling. "Bessie will give you some linens to use for your bunk."

After dinner, Catherine and Anna settled down for a quiet evening in the sitting room, with both women knitting by the fire. The children were in the adjacent library working on the day's schoolwork.

"I have something to discuss with you," Anna said, once they'd settled themselves to knit. "Mrs Harris' son arrived today from London. It seems as if his employer died suddenly and the woman's son dismissed all the help. To make a long story short, he's asked if we can take him on here to do any sort of heavy labour we might need. I told him I'd have to speak with you first before giving him an answer. I put him in the stable room for the night to wait for your decision."

"You know, I've been thinking we could use a man around here ever since Obadiah left," Catherine confided. "There are tasks that would be too much for the women, and the grounds and shrubbery will begin to look weedy and neglected if we don't get someone to attend to them.' After a moment's though she added, "I'm not sure we can afford another servant, though."

"He said he'd not need much pay beyond room and board," Anna told her aunt. "He said he'd be happy to accept whatever we can afford."

"All right, then," Catherine said decisively. "We'll tell him in the morning."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A few days later, Sergeant Hakeswill was supervising Sharpe's riflemen as they reluctantly dug a trench. It had rained recently, so the trench was uncomfortably muddy. Obadiah wore his greatcoat over his uniform, which helped only a bit to keep him protected from the rain, which fell intermittently.

Hakeswill had been meanly satisfied when Sharpe's protests about these men digging trenches had fallen on deaf ears. Both Colonel Windham and Captain Rymer had been of the same opinion as Obadiah had been; that these men were just as eligible to do this sort of work as needed as any other infantryman.

The sergeant stood holding his pike, leaning up against the back trench wall, as the men groused and grumbled as they worked. Hakeswill tolerated a certain amount of this, as he knew that unhappy men were easier for him to manipulate. But he had his limits on how much he was willing to listen to at any given time.

When one of the riflemen, Harris, set his shovel down to take a drink from his canteen, the bony sergeant was on him in an instant.

"Dig!" he bawled. "If you don't dig, you don't eat! We ain't got forever to finish this damned thing."

"Officer coming," Rifleman Cooper warned.

"He ain't an officer," Hakeswill sneered. "I've known Mr Lieutenant Sharpe near on twenty years now. I'm the one what recruited him into the army in the first place and I taught him all he knows about bein' a soldier. He done come from the gutter, same as me and you, and ain't no better than the rest of us."

"Oh yes, oh yes," Cooper replied, knowing it was better to humour the malevolent sergeant than to antagonize him.

Hakeswill scrambled up the bank to higher ground to acknowledge Sharpe.

"Ten SHUN!" he barked, twitching, as he saluted Sharpe, adhering to protocol despite his loathing of the man. "Come to show these lazy bastards how it's done, eh, sir?"

Sharpe didn't immediately reply, but moved closer to Hakeswill and threw up his arm and saluted, knocking the sergeant back into the ditch onto his arse in the mud.

"Carry on, Sergeant," Sharpe said, smirking at him, with the men joining in with gales of laughter.

After a few more jibes, with the men still laughing at him sprawled in the mud, Sharpe moved on to go talk to Captain Rymer, who was standing nearby.

Glaring at the riflemen, who were still leaning on their shovels, Hakeswill growled, "Get back to work, you miserable miscreants, before I have your pay docked! Make no bones, but I will!"

No sooner than Hakeswill had stood up again and brushed the worst of the muck off him, than the French began firing on them from the town walls. Sharpe and Captain Rymer jumped into the trench with them, where they all huddled to stay out of the line of fire because none of the men had their weapons with them and Hakeswill only had a pike.

When there was a lull in the shooting, Sharpe gave the order for everyone to retreat, as there was no way to defend themselves against the French with no weapons. Everyone ran to a safe distance, where they stopped and began catcalling to the enemy soldiers. Obadiah just kept on running back to the camp area, as he realized he'd just been given the perfect opportunity to set the annoying Patrick Harper up to be flogged and lose his sergeant's stripes to boot.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw the men running back at the French, armed with whatever things they could find to use as weapons: axes, sticks, knives, etc. Stupid buggers, all of them, he thought as he continued to run. Nevertheless, he was glad they would be occupied for awhile, which would give him the chance to rifle the officer's baggage and steal a few choice items.

Obadiah glanced around as he approached the area where the officers' baggage was piled. Listening carefully, he could hear the women down by the creek, doing laundry. He was shielded from view by dozens of tents, so he was quite confident his pilfering would go unobserved. With one more glance around, he began rifling through the bags, systematically working through each bag, spending less than a minute on each one.

As well as finding a generous amount of guineas in most of the bags, he found a nice pair of gold earrings, which he intended to save for Anna. Moving on to the next bag, he found a gold watch, which the sergeant knew he could sell for a good price. In another was a portrait in a solid silver frame, which he recognized as belonging to Colonel Windham. His wife, no doubt. Hakeswill had no interest in keeping this item, so it would be the perfect thing to plant in Harper's bags. He also found Sharpie's telescope among his dirty clothes, and took that as well. Obadiah had no real use for that either, but he took it anyway, just to annoy his enemy.

In less than five minutes, he was done. After cutting the portrait out of the frame and tossing it into some nearby bushes, he hurried to Harper's tent, which was right by his own, and stuck the ornate frame into Harper's pack.

Chortling with glee as he left the Irishman's tent, he again looked all around, carefully observing his surroundings before leaving. Obadiah hurried away from the area to stash the loot he was keeping for himself, before someone caught him with it. He went down the road for a couple of hundred feet, then slipped down a slight incline to where there was a large rock close to a mature tree, half hidden under a bush.

Kneeling down, Hakeswill pushed the rock out of the way, then scrabbled into the soft dirt to find the strongbox he'd buried there, filled with loot from earlier plundering. He added the new loot into the box, then sealed it back before burying it once again and replacing the rock to mark the spot.

The wily sergeant made it back just in time, mixing in unnoticed with a group of soldiers walking back to camp from the trench area after the minor skirmish with the crapauds. As he entered the camp along with this group, no one was any the wiser that he'd not been with them the entire time.

Moments later, he heard the indignant exclamations of officers who'd discovered they'd been robbed. Obadiah stood around, looking just as clueless as the other men in the area. He watched as Colonel Windham waited while Richard Sharpe was fetched from the trench area, since he'd been the one responsible for the security of the baggage.

He moved to his tent just before Sharpe arrived, knowing that there would soon be a search conducted to look for the missing items.

Hakeswill didn't have long to wait, as the call came within moments for everyone to bring their bags out of their tents to be inspected. He waited impassively as Sharpe and the drunken Lieutenant Price slowly made their way down the line, followed by Colonel Windham, inspecting each man.

As they stopped in front of him, Obadiah calmly opened his bags, showing them everything inside as he insolently looked Sharpe straight in the eye.

He watched avidly as they moved on to Harper, where the silver portrait frame was quickly discovered.

"Oh, damn, Harper," Sharpe said, wincing in sympathy, as the frame was uncovered.

"You shall be flogged raw for this!" Colonel Windham declared, his voice shaking with rage. "As soon as I may order it by count martial. Where, you scum, did you toss the portrait of my wife?"

Harper, completely stunned, stood there dumbly, not able to even form a reply.

Richard Sharpe looked over at a smug Obadiah Hakeswill, who gave him a twisted grin, then muttered, _sotto voce_, "Done, Sharpie."

Things were indeed turning out well for Obadiah Hakeswill.


	39. Obadiah's Mischief

Obadiah Hakeswill watched Patrick Harper's flogging with grim satisfaction, standing close to Sharpe's former riflemen, who were soon to get their new red jackets. Harper had been immediately busted back to private after the discovery of the silver portrait frame, which had eliminated a major impediment for Obadiah in controlling the men and stealing with impunity within the company.

With the former Sergeant Harper neutralized, that left only Sharpie as a thorn in his side. But Hakeswill know that the upstart officer would have his mind occupied for the foreseeable future with trying to secure another promotion and wouldn't have the time to pay too close attention to what Obadiah did with the men of the company. With any luck, the bleedin' fool would die in the breach trying to get into Badajoz and then the wily sergeant would be able to spend the rest of his time in Spain stealing unhindered and undisturbed.

As he continued to watch the strokes being laid on Harper's back, he looked at the former sergeant with the barest hint of a smug grin on his face. The big Irishman had vowed to watch Obadiah, but he'd seriously underestimated his fellow sergeant and was now properly paying the price for it.

Hakeswill glanced at the riflemen standing nearby; perhaps, now, they would learn that it was a dangerous thing to cross Obadiah Hakeswill and would learn their proper places. Over the years, since he'd been a sergeant, he'd seen some men take longer to learn this fact than others, but they all learned, one way or the other, in the end.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Several days later, Hakeswill accompanied Colonel Windham as he inspected the troops, with little Ensign Matthews tagging behind them, still learning his job. As they surveyed Sharpe's riflemen cronies, Obadiah's keen eyes immediately homed in on a miserable looking Patrick Harper and it was all he could do to repress a gleeful cackle. The big Irishman, his sleeves now bare of sergeant's stripes, stood uncomfortably in line with the rest, narrowing his eyes when he spied Hakeswill, who was standing by the Colonel as if they were old friends.

As Colonel Windham stopped in front of Harper, he gave him a long look, then asked, "Are you fit for duty after punishment?"

"Given to think so by the surgeon, sir," Harper replied carefully.

" Very well. Good. Good," the officer said in a tone that suggested he now regretted his decision, made in the emotion of the moment, to have the former sergeant flogged. Pointing to Harper's multi-barrelled weapon, he asked, "And what do you have there? I don't think I've ever seen one like it."

"It has seven barrels, and fires pistol balls," Harper replied helpfully. "Made by Mr Nock of London. Dead handy weapon for picket duty, so it is, sir."

Regarding the demoted Harper with a malevolent grin, Sergeant Hakeswill told the colonel, "Dead against regulations, sir. Shouldn't have it, sir. Officer's weapon, sir."

"It was given to me by Mr Sharpe, sir," Harper explained to Windham.

"Name took for punishment, sir?" Hakeswill asked, rolling his eyes at the Irishman's excuse.

Colonel Windham, who had been admiring the unusual weapon, did not immediately reply. "What?" Then realizing what Hakeswill had said, he added, "No, no, no. Good God, man, no."

Reaching his hand out for the Nock gun, Hakeswill said firmly, "Give it to me, Private Harper." Glancing at Windham, he asked, "Shouldn't I have it, sir?"

"What?" the officer replied. He was still looking longingly at the seven-barrelled weapon. Sighing in resignation, he reluctantly told Hakeswill, "Er. . . Yes."

Turning to the Irishman, Windham said apologetically, "Well. . . you won't need it, Harper."

"Give it here, Harper," Sergeant Hakeswill ordered, his tone triumphant. He'd been eying that Nock gun for weeks, coveting it, and now it was his.

Harper sighed loudly, then reluctantly handed it over to Hakeswill, who snatched it away eagerly

"Thanks, Paddy."

As he walked away to return to his tent a few minutes later, he gave in to the urge to cackle, pleased with his new acquisition. Obadiah knew he could get a good price for it, if the right buyer came along. In the meanwhile, he'd keep it hidden, so that Sharpie wouldn't take it off him and give it back to Harper.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Nearly a week later, the Chosen Men had pulled night sentry duty, with their assigned positions not far from where French sentries stood guarding their lines. Obadiah, being off duty, had planned to write a letter to Anna that night, since he'd received one from her that day.

As he headed back to his tent after having supper, Newkirk ran to catch up with him.

"Sarge!" he called out, nearly out of breath after trying to keep up with the energetic sergeant.

"What is it, Newkirk," the older man said irritably. "And be quick about it, 'cos I ain't got all night, I don't."

"I just overheard Sharpe talking to Major Nairn," the private told him.

"Not out here!' Hakeswill warned, twitching. "Too many ears around, there are. Come into my tent."

A moment later, inside the sergeant's tent, he turned to Newkirk and demanded, "So what was they talkin' about?"

"Seems like Sharpe's wife is in Badajoz and he's worried about getting' her out," Newkirk said. "Wants to go in for her, he does."

"What kind of a stupid bugger lets his woman go into a town under siege for, even if she is a whore," Obadiah said in disgust. "Especially with a baby. If my Anna was here and we had us a new baby, they'd be right here with me where I could watch over them and keep them safe." After a beat, he added, "'Course Sharpie ain't no better than a bleedin' tomcat about such things, he ain't."

"Right you are, Sarge," the private agreed.

"So, what else did they say?" Hakeswill prodded, twitching.

"The major didn't much like Sharpe askin' him all them questions," Newkirk continued. "He acted impatient with Sharpe, but let it slip that someone was comin' out of there tonight to bring him some information. Sharpe thinks he means his wife is the one comin' out, but Nairn wouldn't tell him yea or nay."

"Interesting, that is," Hakeswill said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I bet he'll be out there waitin' to see if it's her comin' out. Damned fool thing to do, if you asks me."

As the wheels began turning in his head, the sergeant said, "You done told me what you know, so you can go."

After Newkirk had left, Obadiah stepped outside his tent to have a smoke while he digested the information he'd just been given. Sitting on a stool as he filled his pipe, he noticed that fog was rolling in. reducing visibility. As the sun went down and he saw men moving around indistinctly in the fog, an idea formed in his head. Because he knew where Sharpe would be that night and especially because of the fog, it had suddenly dawned on him that tonight would be a good night to get rid of his nemesis for once and for all and do the entire company a favour.

And he now had the ideal weapon to do it with. The Nock gun would be suitable for his needs, considering that with seven barrels, he'd only need to shoot once. His aim wouldn't need to be all that precise, either, as he'd be bound to hit _something _by simply aiming in the right direction. There were also trees and bushes near the path where Sharpe would be waiting which, along with the fog, would shroud Obadiah from view and make him indistinguishable from others on sentry duty. It was the perfect opportunity.

Going back inside the tent, he retrieved the Nock gun, from where he'd wrapped it in oilcloth. After he methodically loaded the heavy weapon, he carefully looked outside his tent. It was full dark now, and no one was lurking nearby to see him leave the tent with the gun.

Obadiah crept away from the tent, with Harper's weapon pressed tightly against his side, so that no one seeing him in the fog would notice he was armed. Once away from the tents, he made his way to hide behind a group of bushes, near the path where he expected Sharpe to pass at some point. He settled himself comfortably on the ground by a tree, in a spot where he could observe, but not be easily seen. It might be awhile before Sharpie came along and gave him an opportunity for a good shot, but Obadiah was patient. He would wait.

Fortunately, he did not have all that long to wait. After about a half hour by the tree, Richard Sharpe came around the bend from the path that led to the entrance gate to Badajoz, with Harper and Major Nairn following close behind. Sharpe was distracted, arguing with Nairn about something that Hakeswill could not hear clearly from his observation point.

It didn't matter. Sharpie wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and the fog was still sufficiently thick to shroud Obadiah as he stood to do what he came here for.

Raising the Nock gun, he prepared to shoot, aiming the powerful weapon at his nemesis. But as he was pulling the trigger, the stupid little bugger, Matthews, ran up to Sharpe just as the gun went off.

"Damn," Obadiah swore under his breath, as he watched the diminutive officer fall, struck in the back by a couple of the Nock's bullets, which had been intended for Richard Sharpe. The little bastard had appeared so suddenly that there was no time for Obadiah to react and lower the weapon. He'd not meant to kill the boy, but reasoned to himself, that he'd have likely died in the breach in a few days, anyway, so he figured that he'd at least given him a clean death.

Lowering the weapon, he scuttled back behind the tree to watch the men bend over the inert form of Ensign Matthews. He noticed that Sharpe moved awkwardly, favouring one leg, so at least one of the Nock's bullets had apparently hit him, after all. _Too bad it hadn't been in the chest_, Obadiah thought to himself as he continued to watch the group fuss over the small, still body. He was relieved when no one came to see who had fired the shot.

A moment later, as he was about to leave the area, he noticed Major Nairn hand something to Sharpe. He couldn't quite tell what it was in the fog, but Sharpe was quite startled when he looked at it. Obadiah made a mental note to search Sharpe's tent some time in the very near future to see just what it was, as it might prove to be useful.

The wily sergeant slipped away into the fog then, before the group still surrounding Matthews' body could collect their wits and go searching for who had shot him. As he strolled back to the tent encampment, Obadiah thought it was a good time to visit Sally Clayton again. Her lazy husband was out on sentry duty and would be for a few hours yet, so he decided to take advantage of the opportunity while he could. They'd be ready to try to storm Badajoz within the week and there wouldn't be time for it then.

As he approached the Clayton tent, he found the comely blond woman sitting out in front of it, along with her friend, Lil. Her back to him, she didn't notice Obadiah approaching, until he stepped right in front of her.

"Hello, missy!" he said, grinning, his voice husky with desire.

"What do you want?" Sally said, backing away.

"Oh, I think you knows what I want," he said, twitching, moving closer..

"I've already done paid your price," she protested. "Right and proper, too, I did."

"That you have," Obadiah agreed. "But, you know, I've been thinking that your man would make a fine volunteer for the Forlorn Hope. Been thinking of suggesting him to Captain Rymer, I have. I'm guessing you could help me to forget all about that."

"My children are here," she stalled, knowing it was useless.

"This one here can watch them for a little while," he pointed out, jerking his thumb to indicate Lil.. "You come with me to my tent. It won't take long - Obadiah just needs a little scratching, is all." After she stood reluctantly, bowing to the inevitable, he said softly. "That's it. Your little 'uns won't even know you're gone."

Later, as Sally dressed to return to her own tent, she noticed a childish drawing stuck to the pole in Hakeswill's tent.

"What's that?" she asked, frowning in confusion, unable to conceal her curiosity. She raised her eyebrow quizzically, when she noticed his facial expression soften as he looked where she indicated.

"It's a drawing one of my little 'uns sent me," he told her, in a gentle tone of voice she'd never heard from him before. "Well, what his Mama done sent me. Supposed to be a cat, it is, but it don't look much like one, does it? Boy is only six, so it's not so bad, considerin'." He laughed quietly, missing his wife and family keenly at that moment.

After a long pause, he cleared his throat, then said, "Better go on home now, missy. Your little baby might be wantin' to be fed just about now."

Sally Clayton was speechless as she carefully made her way back to her own tent. She would have never imagined in her wildest notions that a bastard like Obadiah Hakeswill would have a wife and family that would care enough to send him mail.

Early the next day, as the morning fog still lingered, Obadiah observed Sharpie leaving his tent, noticeably limping. He watched his nemesis until it was clear he wouldn't be returning to his tent within the next few minutes. After the blond officer was out of sight, Hakeswill slipped inside Sharpe's tent to look for the item that Nairn had handed him the night before.

Going straight to Sharpie's trunk, Obadiah deftly picked the lock, then rooted through it. He quickly came upon a folded piece of paper, which was about the same size as the object Nairn handed Sharpe the night before. It looked fresh, as if it had been read only once, so the sergeant figured this had to be it.

Opening the paper, Hakeswill saw that it was a hand-drawn map. Peering closely at it, he guessed that it depicted something within Badajoz, though there was nothing on the map to indicate just exactly what it was. Perhaps it was a map to where Sharpie's whore was staying within the town, but, then again, it might be to something different, perhaps a source of plunder. Either way, it was something that could prove useful to have, so Obadiah folded it up and stuck it in his own pocket before leaving the tent and going back about his own business.

That afternoon, after dashing off a quick letter to Anna, he went to find the so-called Chosen Men. The red jackets and shakos for them had arrived and Obadiah gleefully looked forward to divesting them of their worn-out green rags. Muskets were available, too, so they'd be giving up their rifles as well.

He found them not doing much of anything at their mess area. After calling the morose group to attention, he pointed to a nearby table and announced, "Step right up, lads. Each one of you pox-ridden buggers needs to lay your rifles down on this table, then take off them filthy rags what you calls jackets and lay 'em on the ground.

"What's going on, Sarge?" Cooper asked carefully. He was the spokesman for the group; the one best able to deal with the irascible sergeant.

Rolling his eyes at Cooper, as if this was the stupidest question he'd ever heard in his life, Obadiah replied, "What's going to happen now is you will become proper soldiers. And draw proper red tunics of the light company the South Essex, and you will hand in your precious rifle guns and draw proper muskets to go along with being proper dressed. Fit for soldiers at last!"

A short time later, the men reluctantly had set their beloved rifles carefully down on the table and removed the jackets of which they were so proud, and were now sorting among the red jackets to find ones that fit. Watching them in satisfaction, Obadiah suddenly felt eyes upon him. He whirled to find Richard Sharpe glaring at him balefully.

"Eyes in the back of my head I have, I do believe, sir," Hakeswill said, twitching, as he came to attention, then turned to call the men to attention as well.

"Stand the men at ease," Sharpe growled ,eyes boring into the scrawny sergeant as he did so. Once the men were standing comfortably, the blond officer demanded "What is going on here, Sergeant?" He bent over to pick up one of the discarded green jackets to emphasize his point.

"Been outfitting the men with their new, proper uniforms, I have, sir," Obadiah said. "Going to take these old rags to the gunners to swab out the cannons with, sir."

"No need, Sergeant," Sharpe said, his tone deceptively calm, considering the rage he felt. "I'll take them for you." He gathered up the pile of jackets, then laid them on the table, not quite through yet with Obadiah.

Suddenly snatching up a rifle, he walked over to Hakeswill. With an undercurrent of menace in his voice now, Sharpe looked directly into the sergeant's eyes as he spoke. "They say you can't be killed, Sergeant Hakeswill. It is known. 'Come with me, my lads, for I cannot die. I'm going to live for ever, for they tried to hang me once but did. . . not. . . do it.' I could almost believe it."

Shoving the business end of the rifle hard against the underside of Obadiah's chin, tilting it upwards, Sharpe continued, "Except in the case of someone you tried to kill, Sergeant Hakeswill, and did. . . not. . . do it." He jammed the rifle harder under Obadiah's chin for emphasis, as he said the last four words.

Removing the rifle from under the sergeant's chin, he said, " I wonder who it might be, Sergeant?" Not expecting a reply, he shoved the rifle back under Hakeswill's chin again, vowing, "Mark my words, you're a dead man, Obadiah. Bang!"

Obadiah stepped back from his sworn enemy, staggering slightly, eyes glittering malevolently.

"You are dismissed, Sergeant Hakeswill," Sharpe said, making a sweeping motion with his hand, as if brushing away a fly. "Get out of my sight."

Hakeswill wasted no time leaving, twitching and muttering under his breath.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Close to sundown the next day, men were grouping up in preparation for the raid on Badajoz that would begin later that evening. Obadiah was inspecting his men and giving them last minute instructions, not far from the tent area.

A short distance away, Sharpe, Harper, and Lieutenant Price were engaged in an earnest conversation, all oblivious to Hakeswill's presence.

As he continued to inspect the men, Obadiah eavesdropped on their conversation, while appearing to be as unaware of them as they were of him.

"Sergeant Harper. Teresa is in Badajoz, as you know," Sharpe told his friend. "I may die. Protect her if you can and I can't."

_Private Harper, you mean_, Obadiah thought to himself sourly.

"Oh, I shall, too, Richard," Price promised. "That you can trust me on. And I promise . . . not a drop more than I need to get me up the ladder."

_I'd not trust that drunken sot to wash my shirts, let alone protect anyone_, Hakeswill thought, rolling his eyes.

"And you know you can rely on me and all the Rifles," Harper added. "That goes without saying, so it does."

"She's in a house by the cathedral," Sharpe told the two men. "Two orange trees, she writes me. That is all I can tell you to find her. She drew me a map, but. . . I don't have it any longer." After a pause, he added, "Remember Ciudad Rodrigo? The women were cruelly treated. Some even murdered with their children."

Obadiah was instantly alert at Sharpe's mention of a map. Moving to slip into a nearby tent, he took the map he'd stolen out of his pocket, scrutinizing it more carefully this time. Sure enough, it matched what Sharpe had told the two men.

As he stuffed the map back into his jacket, he vowed to himself to get to the whore's house first once inside Badajoz, knowing he'd come up with the perfect revenge on the arrogant Richard Sharpe. While his fellow soldiers would be pillaging and plundering after they'd taken the town, Obadiah Hakeswill would be attending to some unfinished business from the stable with Sharpie's whore.

After leaving the tent, he pulled out Anna's portrait from his pocket, gazing into her painted eyes. "Forgive me, Anna, but I has to do this."


	40. Badajoz

A few hours later, Obadiah Hakeswill watched from a safe distance as the Forlorn Hope was given its orders to move out. As expected, these men were cut down as they made their way awkwardly up the breach, with the crapauds waiting until they'd reached a spot where it was easiest to pick them off.

Soon, the orders filtered back for the rest of them to move out. After looking at Anna's portrait one more time, Obadiah took up his pike and moved forward, chivvying the men onward.

"Come on, lads," he encouraged. "Let's give it to the crapauds. Do what I tells you to do and you'll have a better chance of comin' out of this alive. Remember, there's women and loot in there, just waitin' for you to lays your grubby hands on."

It was awhile before they reached the breach, as Obadiah was fairly close to the back. He had no intention of trying to be a hero; his goal was to survive the battle and get into Badajoz and do as much plundering as he could get away with. First, however, would be the visit to Sharpie's whore and to scratch that particularly insistent itch.

As the soldiers surged forward, Hakeswill saw an increasing number of fallen men on the breach leading upwards. Entering the town seemed an insurmountable task. Before too long, they came to the ditch, where men jumped in, then clambered out of it to continue moving forward. Men with ladders, however, just laid them down across the ditch and crawled over it. The long trench was also filled with the dead and dying; those unfortunate enough to catch French bullets as they'd tried to climb out of it.

After jumping into the ditch, along with the others, it occurred to him that this would be a relatively safe place to wait out the battle until the town was taken. _If _Badajoz was taken, that is. Obadiah didn't give a tinker's damn who controlled the town; his only goal was to steal and to stay alive and in one piece, until he could return to Anna and the children.

Looking around, he realized that the dead and dying would protect him as well, absorbing any stray shots that might find their way into the ditch. So, as the rest of the men scrambled up the other side of the pit and moved forward, Obadiah hunkered down with the bodies, leaning against the ditch wall closest to Badajoz.

Hakeswill pulled Anna's portrait out of his pocket again, as men continued to stream past. "I'm lookin' out for myself, just as you wanted me to. I'll be comin' home to you, I promises you that." After kissing the portrait, he stuck it back in his pocket, then fingered the lock of her hair inside the pocket. Twitching, he looked around at the dead and dying sharing the long trench with him and decided that this was the perfect opportunity to do a bit of looting.

Before he could get started, however, an officer he didn't know came through the ditch and noticed him crouched against the dirt wall.

"Come on now, Sergeant," the officer said, his tone brisk, brooking no arguments. "Get up and do your duty. That's an order."

"Right away, sir," Obadiah said, reaching for his sheathed bayonet as he rose to his knees. But instead of doing the man's bidding, he slid the bayonet smoothly between the ribs of the unsuspecting officer, striking suddenly.

Leaning over the officer as he lay dying, already going through the man's pockets, Obadiah muttered, "Sorry, sir, but ain't no one goin' to keep me from goin' home to my wife hale and hearty, see? Not you and not no other stupid bugger, neither."

He pulled an expensive, well-balanced pistol out of the officer's jacket, and stuck it in his own jacket without a word, always glad to have another weapon. The pockets produced a fair amount of guineas and a gold pocket watch. Obadiah cackled as he stuffed the watch into his own pocket, thinking he could start him a watch shop when he got himself home, as many as he'd been able to steal.

Not wanting to have to kill another officer, Hakeswill burrowed beneath the man he'd just killed, so he'd appear to be just another one of the dead bodies to anyone passing through. It would also provide him more protection, considering that stray bullets still found their way into the ditch from time to time.

Once comfortably ensconced, Obadiah began searching other nearby bodies, making little distinction between the dying and the already dead. He eventually wormed his way through most of the bodies, which netted him a fair amount of loot.

Just as he was about to give it up and rest for awhile before seeing if it was safe to proceed into Badajoz yet, he came upon Newkirk lying on the other side of the ditch, barely clinging to life.

"Sarge," the young man croaked out as he saw the wiry sergeant leaning over him. "I knew you'd come back for me."

Hakeswill hadn't even thought of Newkirk since taking refuge in the ditch, figuring he'd gone on with the others. But there was no need to let his trusty protégé know that. Best to comfort the lad to make his passing easier.

"I'm here, lad," Obadiah said quietly, genuinely sorry to lose him. Newkirk was the closest thing Obadiah had for a friend in the army.

"I'm dyin', I am," the young man whispered. "Sorry to have failed you,"

"You didn't fail me, boy," the sergeant told him, twitching, as he laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Best thief I've ever known, you were, next to me, that is."

"Thanks for everything you did for me, Sarge," Newkirk said weakly. "If not for you, I'd have died in that bleedin' jail all them years ago. Better to die as a free man." He coughed then, knowing his time was drawing close. Feebly grabbing Obadiah's sleeve, he said, "I wants you to have me plunder. I've got some in me pockets, but there's more back at camp. Don't want nobody but you to get it."

"I'll get it when the battle is over," Hakeswill promised, twitching again..

After Newkirk told him where to find the plunder, Obadiah could see the light fading from his eyes. "You rests easy now, son," he murmured, putting his hand on the young man's brow, maintaining contact until Newkirk's life force had completely drained away.

Out of respect for the young man who'd been his recruiting partner for so many years, Hakeswill waited until he'd passed before rifling his pockets. Newkirk wouldn't be needing it any longer and he knew the lad wanted him to have it.

Hakeswill moved away once he was done, pausing only to close the young man's eyes. The traffic through the ditch had slacked up some time ago, so he hazarded a look above the lip of the trench. Peering over the rim, he could see Sharpe and Harper fighting just inside the walls, close to the breach with the Chosen Men, who had been given their green jackets back just before the attack started. Though many soldiers lay dead on the artificial hill made of the broken wall of the breach, still more charged up it and surged into Badajoz to assist the green-coated men.

Just as he was collecting himself, making sure all the loot was properly secured, he heard a cheer from at the top of the breach. With the crapauds apparently on the run, Obadiah knew it was safe to emerge, so he clambered out of the pit and fell in with some men who were surging up the breach and into the town. With his pike in one hand, he hustled down a stone stairway that went into the town proper, passing unnoticed by Sharpie and Harper, who were still fighting. As he was nearly past, he noticed Sharpe hacking down a Frog officer who had his hands up in surrender, obviously still in the throes of bloodlust.

As Obadiah entered the streets of Badajoz, soldiers were well under way into their rampage of pillage, plunder, and rape. Hearing a woman scream nearby, as several privates dragged her into an alley, the sergeant was reminded of his vow to settle his score with Sharpie by means of the whore he'd met in the stable in Elvas.

First things first. Though he'd like to do as much plundering in the town while there were still things left to steal, it was essential that he got to Sharpie's whore and attend to his business with her before Sharpie and Harper did.

He passed the alley where the woman was still begging for help, then stopped close to where a torch gave enough light to read. He pulled out the map again, comparing it to his surroundings. Having a general idea as to which way to proceed, he started heading in the right direction, doing some pick-pocketing along the way.

No one paid him any attention as he walked in the general direction of Teresa Moreno's home, so intent were the soldiers on total debauchery. After a short while, Hakeswill caught a glimpse ahead of that drunken sot of an officer, Lt. Price, heading purposefully in the same direction he was heading.

Remembering that Sharpe had asked Price to protect Teresa once in Badajoz and figuring that's where he was headed, Obadiah immediately began to follow him. He made sure to stay back far enough so that the lackadaisical officer would not notice he was being tailed. It wasn't hard, as there were hundreds of men in the streets, with none of them making the slightest effort to be quiet.

With minutes, Price slipped through an archway into a small courtyard, with a house close behind. As Obadiah lingered by the archway, partially concealed, he watched Price as he went to bang on the door.

"Teresa! Teresa!" Price called out loudly, still banging on the door.

Still standing in the shadows, Hakeswill watched intently as a window opened on the second floor, where a feeble light glowed from behind. Obadiah grinned evilly when he saw the woman who poked her head out. It was Sharpie's whore, all right.

"Who's there? Richard?" she called. She could not see Price as he was standing under the eaves of the house, up by the front door.

Price backed up so she could see him, looking up at her, grinning good-naturedly.

"No. It's me, Harry Price," he explained. "Richard said whoever got to you first should look after you.

Moving to show himself as best he could in the darkened courtyard, he added, "See? It's me."

"I'll be right there," Teresa called out, closing the shutters.

Obadiah stowed his pike just inside the courtyard walls, behind a bit of shrubbery as he quietly slipped in close behind Harry Price, still unnoticed by the oblivious young man. Waiting for her to open the door, he poised to act quickly.

Seconds later, Teresa Moreno opened the door, asking Price, "Where is Richard?"

But before Price could answer, Obadiah saw his opportunity and sprang forward, pushing Price out of the way as if he were a boy, then into the house where he grabbed Teresa from behind. Pulling the pistol he'd taken from the officer he'd killed in the breach, he brandished it at the young officer, warning him away.

Putting his lips close to Teresa's ear, Obadiah cackled, then muttered as his grip tightened around her waist. "Remember me, missy? We have us some unfinished business, we do."

Moving forward carefully, with his hands spread in a conciliatory gesture as other soldiers entered the home, attracted by the open door, Price said, "Sergeant Hakeswill, I don't mean to spoil your fun, but the lady is not . . ."

"Beggin' your pardon sir, but ain't nobody stopping' me this time," Obadiah said, twitching, then immediately shooting Price, who slid down the wall, dead before he hit the floor. An old man, presumably the Spanish woman's father, hearing the shot, rushed in from another room with a pistol, but one of the soldiers still coming in the front door shot the old man before he could react.

Teresa was nearly rigid with fear, praying that Richard would soon arrive to save her. She was absolutely clear as to Hakeswill's intentions, feeling the evidence of it pressing against her backside.

By this time, the malevolent sergeant had unsheathed his bayonet, which he placed at her throat. Soldiers now filled the house, with some of them waiting in line on the stairs, and others pilfering items all over the house.

Obadiah didn't care about any of that. He'd come here to finish what he'd started back in Elvas at the stable, so he began edging back to the stairway to drag Sharpie's whore up the stairs to find somewhere more comfortable to do her.

He found it slow going on the stairs, with men blocking his progress every step of the way.

Finally, exasperated, he growled, "One at a time, please, lads. Eh? I saw her first, so's you'll all have to wait your turn." As they cleared the way for him, he continued, "I promises you that once I'm done with her, you can push it right in, up to the hilt."

Hakeswill dragged her into a bedroom a short time later, and kicked the door shut, wanting to have a bit of privacy with the woman while he had his way with her.

"Please don't do this," Teresa begged quietly as her eyes travelled around the room, looking for a weapon. "My baby daughter is here."

"I just wants to have you, is all," Obadiah said as his eyes also swept the room, looking for a good place to do the deed. "Don't want to hurt your little 'un." Spying a comfortable settee near the window, with no objects near it that could be used as weapons, he dragged her in that direction.

"You thinks you're too good for the likes of me, but you ain't," he told her, twitching. Looking around the room appraisingly he said, "Seems you do pretty good for yourself, 'cos I can't see Sharpie bein' able to keep you in such a nice house on what he makes. Course he's stealin' like the rest of us, so who knows, eh?"

Teresa didn't answer, not wanting to antagonize Hakeswill any more than necessary. She needed to keep her wits about her, so she'd recognize any opportunity she could take advantage of to get away from him and, hopefully, to kill him. Unfortunately, Teresa saw little hope of that, considering how many soldiers were in the house, most of them bent on raping her once Hakeswill was through. Realistically, if she could just get through this alive, with Antonia unhurt, she would be thankful. Richard would take care of this man later, no matter what happened.

Knowing that time was of the essence, Obadiah was ready to get down to business. Sliding one hand up from her waist, he tore her bodice open, noting with satisfaction that she wore no stays. He slipped an eager hand down her shift to feel her breasts, sighing in appreciation as he did so.

"Obadiah is going to give you a good ride, oh yes, " he murmured, intent on his prize. "Nothin' to be afraid of, missy, 'cos you're going to like it, see? You do as I tells you, and it will be good for both of us." Cackling gleefully, he twitched, then added "'Course, Sharpie might not want you no more after I've done had you…" His voice trailed off as he returned his attention to what he was doing, bending down to kiss her neck, completely unfazed by her shudder of disgust.

So focused was he on ravishing this woman that he did not hear the sound of heavy boots coming up the steps. Just as he was about pull her petticoat up, the door crashed open to admit Richard Sharpe and Patrick Harper, who'd shoved their way through the queue of men waiting on the stairs.

With a hand still on her breast and the other holding the bayonet to her throat, he gave Sharpe an insolent look, then said casually, "This your whore, Sharpie? Want to watch?" He leaned forward to kiss her neck, to emphasize his point.

"Get your filthy hands off my wife!" Sharpe thundered. "I'll bloody kill you."

"If you don't, I will," Harper said grimly.

But both men hesitated because Hakeswill still held the sharp bayonet on Teresa and could slit her throat with a single movement.

Knowing there was no way Richard Sharpe would stand by and watch him take her, and because he knew he couldn't hold the bayonet, do the whore, and watch Sharpie and Harper all at the same time, Obadiah changed tactics.

Manoeuvring Teresa toward the doorway, with the bayonet still at her throat, he twitched again, then said, "I've decided not to take this whore, Sharpie." Pausing a split second for effect, he asked, "Want to know why?" Not expecting a reply, he went on, "'Cos she's a pox-ridden whore, Sharpie. Don't want to dip it into that kind of filth, see? Don't want to pick up any of the filth you've done put in her, neither. 'Cos we all knows you've been with every woman from India to Spain, you have."

He shoved her away from him then, bodice still hanging open, toward Richard Sharpe, then moved to run out of the room and back down the stairs. But Patrick Harper was quicker, giving Hakeswill a sucker punch that flipped him backwards over the railing and down to the foyer below, knocking down several soldiers in the process, amidst laughter from all those nearby.

Twitching, as he quickly picked himself up, Obadiah ran for his life, knowing that Sharpie or Harper would kill him if they caught him. As he made it into the courtyard and retrieved his pike, Harper shot at him through an open window, barely missing him. The sergeant didn't pause to look back. If he was to escape, he had to go now, while there still were hundreds of soldiers in the streets to slow the other men down.

Oddly enough, they didn't chase him, Hakeswill quickly realized once he got away from the house and down the street. He'd expected Sharpie to look after his woman, but couldn't figure out why the big Irishman hadn't come to hunt him down. Didn't really matter why, though, because it let him get away clean.

As he scrambled back down the breach, picking his way carefully through the dead bodies, Obadiah knew that he had to desert. Sharpie's whore had seen him kill Lieutenant Price and there was no talking his way out of that one. Sergeant Hakeswill realized that only a firing squad awaited him if he were to return to duty, so he knew he had no other choice.


	41. On the Run

After scrambling down the breach and re-crossing the ditch where he'd found refuge with the dead and dying, Obadiah Hakeswill hastened back to his tent as fast as he could. He knew Sharpie would spend some time tending to his whore, but there was no telling how long he'd take doing that or if he'd send Harper to hunt him down. It was essential to grab his things and get out of there as quickly as he could, then start putting miles between him and Richard Sharpe.

The camp women and other non-combatants were at the front of the camp, closest to Badajoz, so they could view whatever they could of what was going on. Obadiah skirted around them in the dark on the edges of the camp, making as little noise as possible.

Within moments, he'd slipped into his tent and began stuffing essential items into his pack, including making a bedroll of his greatcoat and blanket. He'd not be able to take everything, because he needed to be able to travel as unencumbered as possible. The sergeant would miss his tent, but there was nothing for it, since he didn't have the time to take it down and it would be a bit much for his donkey to carry, anyway. Plus, leaving it up would delay the discovery of his desertion, at least for a few minutes. And Hakeswill needed every minute he could get to make his escape.

In less than five minutes, he was ready to go. As he headed to the tent flaps to leave, his arm brushed against the drawing Will had sent him through the post. Setting his things down for a moment, he removed it from the pole, then folded it and stuck it inside his jacket.

Now ready to leave, he peered out from the tent flaps, making sure there was no one around to witness his presence. Satisfied, he crept out then made his way to the donkey pens, making a few detours to avoid the few people he saw along the way.

Once out of the camp, Hakeswill went to dig up Newkirk's plunder which, fortunately, had been hidden not too far from where he'd stashed his own. Good hiding place it was, too. As he stuffed the items into his pack, he thought to himself how well he'd taught the young private and what a shame it was to lose him. Making his way the short distance to his own plunder, he briefly thought of how sad Anna would be when she learned of the young man's death.

_Better him than me, though_, Obadiah thought as he dug through the soft dirt to unearth the strongbox. _At least he ain't leaving no wife or any little 'uns behind_. _My_ _Anna would be even sadder if Sharpie caught up to me. _Twitching at the very thought of that, he worked hastily. After adding Newkirk's loot and the plunder from the ditch into the box, Hakeswill just shoved the rock over the open hole, not bothering to fill it back up.

As he stood up and brushed the dirt off his trousers, Obadiah looked back in the direction of the camp and thought, _This is it. No goin' back now._

He secured the strongbox in a pack on the donkey's back, then took the animal's reins and led him a bit deeper into the trees. Hakeswill intended to parallel the road as best he could, while allowing trees and bushes to give him cover. He didn't expect they'd mount an intense search for him once they discovered he was missing, but Obadiah hadn't survived this long by being careless. Still, he knew the army had better things to do than go hunting him down, so he figured that if he got at least a fair distance from camp, he'd be all right, as long as he continued to avoid meeting up with any other British army units on his journey.

Walking in the general direction of the Portuguese coast, the sergeant had no clear destination in mind at the moment. Figuring out where to go could wait until he'd put enough distance between himself and Richard Sharpe.

Obadiah Hakeswill walked for the rest of the night, not thinking much beyond survival and putting one foot in front of the other. He'd been on the run before from those who wanted to kill him, so he was not overly concerned. He would survive - he always did.

Not long before dawn, he came upon a small, run-down farm, where the barn was separated from the farmhouse by a grove of trees. It had the look of neglect, with fallow, overgrown fields and the barn in need of repair. He was tired and hungry and he knew the donkey needed rest and fodder as well, so he decided to stop here to find something to eat for the both of them, before going back into the woods to get a few hours of sleep.

Hakeswill led the donkey into the barn, where he found one lone cow standing inside a stall, patiently chewing its cud. There was an empty stall next to the cow, so he led the donkey in there, then gathered some hay for him.

"Eat you some hay while I sees what there is for me to eat," Obadiah told the animal, who was now doing just that.

He left the barn, then crept closer to the house to check to see if anyone was around. Smoke rose from the chimney of the farmhouse, so he knew the place wasn't deserted, despite its run-down state. As the sun slowly rose over the horizon, he noticed a family cemetery, full of graves, some fairly recent, not far from the house. A chicken coop stood in an open area, close to where he stood, peering through a bush that would conceal him from anyone coming out of the house.

Obadiah licked his lips in anticipation. Some eggs and a chicken dinner greatly appealed to him at this point after walking all night without a bite to eat. And, once he returned to the barn, a bit of milk as well.

Before he could step out to grab one of the birds, the door to the nearby house opened and an old woman hobbled out, basket in hand. The sergeant watched her make her way hesitantly to the chickens, completely oblivious to his presence. Obadiah figured there was no one younger living with the old lady, or else they'd be doing the chores rather than her.

Figuring it was safe, as he'd already scanned the immediate area in all directions, he stepped out from cover and approached the woman.

"Who's there," she called out in Spanish, squinting in his direction at the sound of his footsteps.

"I means you no harm, Senora," he called out in broken Spanish. "I just needs me something to eat, I do. I can pay." He took out a coin, extended it to her, then pointed to a chicken, then made eating motions with his hand.

"Ahhh." The old woman's weathered face lit up with understanding. "I cook you food," she said in broken English. After bending over to collect several eggs in her basket, she pointed to a chicken, made twisting motions with her hands, then pointed at Obadiah's hands.

Immediately comprehending her gestures, Hakeswill snatched up the bird and did as she indicated, chuckling as he did so. "Don't need to speak the same language to understand each other, do we?"

Smiling back at the bald headed sergeant, the old woman pointed to the barn, making cow-milking motions, then pointed at Obadiah.

"I got you," he said, twitching, "You wants some milk, leche_."_

"Si, si," she replied. Then she pointed to the house, indicating that he should bring the milk there when he was done milking.

"Won't be but a few minutes," Obadiah promised her, as he turned to go attend to the cow..

A short time later, Obadiah entered the farmhouse where, after looking around at the surroundings, it seemed obvious to him that she'd been living alone for quite some time.

"You sit," she said, after he handed her the bucket of milk, indicating a seat at a table by a window, not far from the fireplace.

After doing as she indicated, Hakeswill realized it was a good spot, as it gave him a view back to the barn, so he'd see anyone coming out from the woods where he'd emerged earlier.

Within a few minutes, she'd fried him a few eggs, which she served him along with some bread and milk.

"Gracias," Obadiah said as she set the plate down in front of him, then turned to go pluck the chicken. He began eating eagerly, with this being the best meal he'd had in a long while.

"De nada," she acknowledged briefly before turning to her work.

When he finished eating, burping in satisfaction, the scrawny sergeant went over to the old woman, still plucking the chicken, and pointed out the window to the barn, then at himself.

"I needs to sleep for awhile in your barn,' he said, putting his hands together and putting them against the side of his tilted head to indicate sleeping.

The woman understood, nodding as she patted him on the arm. "You sleep now. I cook. Come back later to eat."

As Obadiah headed back to the barn to sleep for a few hours, his thoughts turned to his mother, reminded of her by the old woman's kind hearted hospitality. Would their relationship have been comfortable like this, he wondered, with her fussing over him like this old woman had done? Looking up at the sky as he walked, he murmured, "I still misses you, Ma. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you."

Twitching as he entered the barn, he checked on the donkey, before taking his box of plunder up into the hayloft with him. It wasn't likely anyone would enter the barn while he was sleeping, but there was no point in taking chances. Obadiah had worked long and hard to collect all of it and he wasn't about to lose it to carelessness.

The tired sergeant fell asleep almost as soon as he'd laid down in the straw, exhausted from the events of the night before. His sleep was deep and untroubled, with him not awakening until mid-afternoon.

Hakeswill was disoriented when he awakened, wondering for a moment what he was doing sleeping in a barn. When it all came back to him, seconds later, he thought immediately of Anna. Now that he'd had a bit of rest, he recalled that he'd sent off a letter to her not long before and that she would no doubt be sending a response to his army address shortly after getting his letter.

He knew he had to get another letter off to her immediately, to tell her not to send any more letters through the army and to let her know he was safe. Obadiah certainly did not want his wife to hear of his desertion from army sources and, especially, the details that led to it. In her condition, especially after losing two babies in a row, he knew Anna did not need to hear anything that would cause her undue distress.

As he pulled paper and ink out of his haversack to write her a letter, he wondered where he should tell her to send letters back to him. When he'd fled from Badajoz, he'd not planned to desert ahead of time, thus had no destination in mind other than to simply get away. Thinking for a long moment, Hakeswill remembered the rumours he'd heard in the last few weeks about a band of deserters, made up of men from all the warring nations, hiding in the hills. The more he thought about them, the more the thought it might be a good idea to join them. It was an opportunity to openly pillage and plunder and Hakeswill knew he could make a lot of money in a relatively short amount of time. Because there would be no more source of income from the army for him, he knew it was something he had to do before he could try to return home to his family.

The sergeant didn't know exactly where their base was, or if they even had one, for that matter. But the last thing he'd heard about the band of deserters placed them in the general direction he was heading, so Obadiah figured he'd run into them sooner or later.

But as he dipped his pen into the bottle of ink to start the letter, he realized he didn't know where to tell her to send his mail to. Thinking for a moment, he finally began to write.

_Dear Anna,_

_You must be wondering why I'm sending you another letter so quickly after the last without waiting for you to send me back a letter first._

_I have something to tell you that you needs to know about right away._

_I've done deserted the army - never mind the reasons why right now. I'll tell you about it when I gets back home. It's not something I can write about in a letter._

_Don't worry about me, though. I knows how to survive on my own - been doing it since I was a lad. Just know that I am fine for now._

_I have to lay low for awhile, so I won't be coming home right away. I also found me a way to make some more money while I'm waiting, so the time won't go to waste._

_I don't know yet where you can send me letters at, but I'll keep writing and tells you when I get settled somewhat. Just don't send me no more letters through the army._

_I miss you and look at your portrait all the time. I can't wait to leave this place and to hold you in my arms again, but I'll come home as soon as I can._

_I will write again soon to let you know how I am. Take care of yourself and know that I love you._

_Your Obadiah_

Satisfied with the letter, he folded it up and stuck it, along with his writing tools, back into the haversack, intending to mail it in the next town he came to. His stomach rumbled, reminding him of his hunger, so he climbed down the ladder and headed for the farmhouse.

He could smell the dinner the old woman had prepared even before reaching the house, with his stomach grumbling again in anticipation.

The woman must have been watching for him, because the door opened just as he reached it, with her beckoning him inside. She had her shawl on, so maybe she'd been about to come look for him.

When he entered the kitchen, the chicken dinner he'd been craving was on the table waiting for him. Knowing he had to get moving again shortly, he immediately began eating, taking generous portions of vegetables, along with two pieces of chicken. Obadiah only belatedly noticed that the old woman did not sit down to eat with him, but went back to her chores.

Pointing to the other chair, then pointing to her, and lastly making eating motions with his hand, he said, "Sit down and eat with me. No reason why you shouldn't."

The woman hesitantly sat down and served herself smaller portions than what the rawboned sergeant was eating, eventually relaxing somewhat.

It seemed fairly obvious to him that she was unused to the company of others, probably having been a widow for some time. It was of no consequence to Obadiah, as he was happy enough to eat his meal in silence, just grateful for the good food.

After finishing his meal, Sergeant Hakeswill stood up, reaching into his pocket to pay the woman for her hospitality

Seeing the generous amount of coins he was extending to her, she shook her head, folding his hand back over the coins. "No, no. I give this to you."

"It's all right, Senora," he said affably, extending the coins again. "Take it. You treated me right, so you deserves this." He'd not originally intended to give her this much, but the memories of his mother that she generated had put him in a generous mood. Obadiah just wanted to return the favour he'd been given.

Finally, the old woman took the coins, allowing her need to overcome her pride. "Gracias," she said quietly. She held up a finger, indicating that he should wait, then hurried back into the kitchen and wrapped up what remained of the chicken, then added some bread to the bundle. "To take with you," she added helpfully as she handed it to him.

"I 'preciates it, I do," he told her, twitching, as he stowed the extra food into his haversack. It would come in handy on his trek, postponing the time when he'd need to hunt. Turning to look at the old Spanish woman at the door, he added, "Muchas gracias. You're a good woman, you are."

After leaving the woman at the farmhouse, Hakeswill headed back to the barn to collect the donkey and resume his journey. Once he'd checked to make sure all his belongings were safely arranged on the donkey's back once more and collecting some extra hay for the animal to eat later, he was on his way again. He headed in the direction of the nearest town in the opposite direction from Badajoz, which, fortunately, was in the same general direction as the hills where the deserters were supposedly holed up. He'd get the letter to Anna posted first, then would walk in search of his fellow deserters.

Obadiah was not overly concerned. Things had worked out well for him so far and he was confident that they would continue to do so. As he put the old woman's farm behind him, Hakeswill vowed that Richard Sharpe would never get the chance to kill him.


	42. Letters and Partnerships

Obadiah Hakeswill was able to mail the letter off to Anna early the next morning when he came to the next town. With that done, he stocked up on provisions for both him and the donkey, then left the town, putting more miles between him and British army, but not before doing a bit of stealing first. He'd come to Spain to steal and that's exactly what he was going to do, regardless of the fact that he'd deserted from the army.

Sergeant Hakeswill had not heard any rumours as to the whereabouts of the band of deserters while in the small town, so he continued heading in the general direction at which they'd been most recently sighted.

He trudged along for hours, stopping only to answer the call of nature, to eat and rest, and to let the donkey drink water whenever they came upon a creek. Used to covering a lot of ground on foot, the veteran sergeant was able to walk a good distance before becoming footsore. When he came upon a secluded clearing near a creek, Hakeswill decided to stop for the night. The weather was clear and the temperature mild, so it would be a good night for sleeping under the stars.

After making camp and attending to his own needs and that of the donkey, Obadiah sat on a log to have a smoke in front of the campfire he'd built. His thoughts drifted homeward as he puffed on the pipe, wondering what his wife and children were doing at that very moment. He thought of the new baby to come and imagined Anna sitting big-bellied by the fireplace knitting booties for it, while the older ones and Catherine sat nearby keeping her company. Later, as he settled down into his bedroll for the night, he hoped Anna wouldn't be too upset by his letter, expecting that Catherine would be able to reassure her. Shortly thereafter, Obadiah fell asleep, dreaming he was holding Anna in his embrace.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Anna Hakeswill had been feeling distinctly uneasy in the last few days. A few days ago, she'd awakened in the middle of the night with the sudden conviction that Obadiah was in great danger: a feeling she'd been unable to shake. Reluctant to give voice to her gut feelings, because to do so was to give such disturbing thoughts credence, she kept her feelings to herself and attempted to go about her business as usual.

Despite her reticence, her aunt had noticed the difference in her demeanour. Anna had been increasingly pensive and distracted during the evenings as the family sat together after dinner, frequently pausing with her knitting and staring off into space.

"Is something wrong, Anna?" the older woman asked one evening, unable to stand it any longer. "You seem preoccupied."

"No, I'm fine, Aunt Catherine,' she responded with a small smile. "Truly. I'm just a bit tired, is all."

This was true enough, because she'd not slept well the night before.

"Perhaps you should turn in early tonight," Catherine advised. "You need plenty of rest in your condition."

"You're right," Anna agreed, her mind clearly not on her knitting. She'd had to unravel an entire row because of dropped stitches. "I do believe I will retire for the evening."

"Sleep well," her aunt called after her. "Things will look better in the morning.

Moments later, after Anna had undressed to her shift and put her dressing gown on over it, she sat in the window seat in her bedroom, looking out over the dark meadows. It faced south, toward Spain, and she wordlessly sent her thoughts and her love to her absent husband as she did every night.

After saying her nightly prayers, she remained in the window seat, still brooding. Anna knew her apprehensions were most likely groundless, considering that none of the letters that Obadiah had sent her indicated that there was anything even remotely wrong. Still, the feeling persisted and she knew that nothing would completely quell it until she received Obadiah's next letter.

Looking at his portrait, she whispered, "Please, God, keep him safe and bring him home to me healthy and sound."

Stepping back into the hall, Anna went to check on the children and say good night to them. She went to Will's room first, where she found her youngest son fast asleep in bed. Quietly moving to stand by his bedside, she pulled his covers higher as she listened to his deep, even breathing. Watching over him for a long moment, she placed a soft kiss on the top of his head before noiselessly leaving the room.

Moving on to Bridget's room, Anna found her only daughter snuggled up in bed with a book.

"It's rather late," she told Bridget when she entered the room. "You need to get some rest."

"I'm sorry," the young girl said, closing the book and setting it on her night table. "I was wanting to finish this chapter before I went to sleep. Reading helps me from missing Da too much."

Sitting down on the side of the bed beside Bridget, Anna gently took her hand and confided, "I miss your Da, too. But he's off serving the King, so we have to be brave and carry on while he's away. You don't want him to worry about us, do you?" Kissing the top of her daughter's head, she added, "But practicing the pianoforte and doing your lessons is a good way to keep yourself diverted so that the time passes more quickly. If you do that, he'll be home before you know it."

"I'll try," Bridget said with a small voice, "But I miss him so much!"'''

Mother and daughter hugged tightly, for a long moment, and it was all Anna could do not to allow the tears to fall. But she knew she must keep up a strong facade for the children, and never let them know of her own worries about Obadiah. It was a mother's job to protect her children, so that's exactly what she would do, regardless of her personal worries.

"Get some rest, now, Bridget, and I'll see you in the morning," Anna said, giving her a peck on the cheek as she released her from the hug.

Last, she entered Barry's room, where she found her oldest child cleaning the pistol Obadiah had given him.

"It's getting late, Barry," Anna said gently, giving him a fond smile. "You should be going to bed. Morning comes quickly when you go to bed too late."

"Nearly finished with it, I am," Barry responded, looking up at her with his head tilted at the same angle Obadiah did when he was being earnest. "Da said I should take care of my pistol and I don't want to let him down." Looking her squarely in the eyes, as Obadiah often did, he added, "I want him to be proud of me when he comes home."

"He will be," Anna assured him fervently. "Never doubt that for a moment. He's proud of all his children."

Anna had to turn away for a moment to look out the window, so he'd not see the tears welling up in her eyes. Barry reminded her so much of Obadiah, in both appearance and mannerisms, and the older he got the more strong this resemblance became.

Finally, when she'd mastered her emotions, she turned back to him and said, "All right, you may finish with what you're doing, but I want you to promise me you'll go to bed right after you're done."

"I promise," he said. "It shouldn't be too much longer."

"I'll say good night, then," she said briskly. "Sleep well and I'll see you at breakfast."

After returning to her bedroom, Anna climbed into bed, staying to one side, as if Obadiah was lying there with her, which she'd done ever since he'd left. Though she'd expected to toss and turn for the most of the night, she soon fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Over the next couple of weeks, the Hakeswill family went about their normal business, each missing Obadiah in their own way. Anna's gut feelings about him being in danger gradually dissipated, but never completely went away. The nagging feeling remained in the back of her mind, much as a tickling throat sometimes remained after a cold had disappeared. As the days went by, her anticipation of a letter from Spain grew.

Finally, late one busy morning, she spied the postman walking up the hill to their house. They'd not received any mail in several days, so Anna jumped up to rush out to meet him. She was standing right outside the front door, looking expectant as he arrived.

"Good morning, Mrs Hakeswill," the middle-aged postman greeted her cheerfully. "Today is your lucky day - I have two letters from that husband of yours."

"Oh, my," Anna said, relieved that her ordeal was about to be over. "I wonder why Obadiah wrote me two letters? I've never before had more than one from him at a time."

"These two letters came from two different sources," the postman explained to her. "One came from the usual army post. The other, the Spanish post. They probably arrived at the same time because one source was faster than the other."

Taking both letters from the man, she said, "Thank you ever so much. I should have a return letter for you in a day or so."

A moment later, she returned to the sitting room, where Aunt Catherine sat with a book. Sitting down, she announced, "The postman brought me two letters from Obadiah."

"Two letters?" Catherine echoed. "What in the world?"

"Which shall I read, first?" Anna mused aloud, hold them both up to scrutinize. "One is from the usual army post, the other from the Spanish post.."

"If it were me, I'd read the one from the usual source first," the older woman said. "But it's up to you."

"That makes sense," Anna agreed, opening the first one. Quickly scanning the letter, she read his description of the impending battle at Badajoz, along with reassurances that he'd be all right and wouldn't be taking any foolish chances. She let out a breath she'd not been aware she'd been holding. The letter was perfectly calm, though the mention of an impending battle worried her a bit.

After handing the letter wordlessly to Catherine to read, as Obadiah hadn't said anything sufficiently intimate that would have made it inappropriate for Catherine to see, she opened the next one.

After reading the second letter quickly, she went limp, allowing the missive to drop to the floor. "Oh, my God."

"What is it?" Catherine was alarmed.

Gesturing helplessly to the letter on the floor, Anna said, "Read it."

The older woman leaned over to retrieve it, then rapidly scanned Obadiah's untidy scrawl. Turning to Anna, her expression completely flabbergasted, she said, "Deserted the army? I don't understand."

"Neither do I," Anna said helplessly. "It must be something terrible for him not to be able to write about it in a letter."

Catherine was inclined to agree, but she did not voice this opinion. Though she liked Obadiah Hakeswill and considered him a good husband and father, she also was well aware of what kind of background he came from and what men from such backgrounds were capable of doing if backed into a corner. Now, she wondered just what had happened to back him into that corner.

Putting on a brave smile, she told her niece, "He said that he's all right and that you shouldn't worry." Patting Anna on the shoulder, she added quietly, "Obadiah knows how to take care of himself. He's been doing it since he was a boy."

"I _knew_ something was wrong," Anna confided. "A few weeks ago, I awakened in the middle of the night, sure that something bad had happened with Obadiah. And I've not been able to stop thinking about it ever since."

"So that's what it was," Catherine said. "I've been wondering what was wrong with you. Why didn't you confide in me?''

"I didn't want to give it credence by speaking of it aloud," Anna explained. "To speak of it would make it more real, somehow." Sighing softly, she continued, "But it does help, just a little bit, to know at least part of what it is. But I hate that I can't write to him, even though I understand why I can't. I won't be able to help but continue to worry until he comes home."

"He'll write again with an address when he gets settled," Catherine reminded her gently.

"I don't see why he just doesn't come straight home now," Anna said peevishly.

"He told you why, dear," the older woman said with infinite patience. "He's doing what he thinks is best for you and the children."

"I suppose you're right," Anna said, her voice shaky. "But I can't help but worry."

"It's natural to worry," her aunt replied. "But you need to remember that Obadiah loves you and he'll do all that he can to come home to you as soon as it is safe for him to make the journey."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Obadiah Hakeswill spent the next couple of weeks wandering around the Spanish countryside trying to get a line on the deserters' location. He'd not been single minded about finding them, but took a lackadaisical approach, spending more time stealing in the towns he passed through. He knew he'd find them eventually, but while looking, he didn't want to pass up any opportunities to steal.

A little more than two weeks after he'd walked away from the army at Badajoz, Obadiah came upon a ramshackle, abandoned barn not long before sunset. Figuring it was a good a place as any, he decided to make camp for the night.

He'd gone through a small town earlier that day, where he'd heard it had suffered a raid from the deserters two nights before. Knowing he was close now, he decided it was time to finally join them. From what he'd heard from the villagers that day, their attack was disorganized and ineffective. It was apparent to him that they needed someone to command and Obadiah figured he was the "someone" to whip the group into shape. No doubt there were few sergeants among the rabble, especially senior sergeants like him who had as many years of experience and were capable of commanding a large group. Thinking back, he remembered when he'd pretended to desert in Gawilghur to keep from being murdered by Sharpe all those years ago. It had been so easy to command when Dodd had made him an officer.

As he continued with his happy ruminations while puffing on his after-dinner pipe, he suddenly heard rustling noises coming from close by outside. Jumping up, he drew his pistol and crept into the stall where the donkey placidly stood. Crouching down, he waited silently for any intruders to show themselves.

He didn't have long to wait. Within moments, a short, pudgy grey-haired man dressed in a French army uniform shambled into the barn, leading a laden donkey of his own. No doubt, another deserter, but Hakeswill wasn't ready yet to let down his guard.

Cocking the pistol, which was sharply audible inside the quiet stable, he growled, "Put your hands up, Froggy, where I can sees 'em."

The Frenchman immediately obeyed, extending his hands palms up, to show he didn't have any hostile intentions. "I mean you no harm. I no longer fight for my country. I fight for myself, just as you no doubt do."

"You speaks English," Obadiah said, relieved. "That makes it easier. I still ain't sure about you, so I needs to search you."

"I have nothing to hide," the Frenchman said, shrugging, as he allowed the scrawny Englishman to search him.

After doing so, the wary English sergeant was satisfied that the Frenchman was indeed a deserter, much like himself. Nevertheless, he went over to the other man's donkey where, to his surprise, that it contained a large amount of pots, pans, and other kitchen implements.

"What?" Hakeswill demanded, twitching. "Did you rob a kitchen? Not much money to be made tryin' to sell this stuff, there ain't."

"I did not steal it," the Frenchman explained. "I am a chef. I was the personal chef for Marshal Soult himself."

"Sounds like good, easy duty," Hakeswill said. "Why did you desert?"

"I poisoned an officer, who was getting too close to finding the truth about the operation dealing in stolen goods I was running," the other man said, shrugging. "What about you - why did you run?"

"I shot an officer in Badajoz, who was getting between me and another officer's whore I was about to roger," Hakeswill reported. "Sad thing is, I never got to do her."

"I am Sergeant Deron," the Frenchman introduced himself. "Some have called me 'Marshal Pot Au Feu', jokingly referring to my expertise as a chef."

"It's as good a name as any," Hakeswill said, twitching.

"And your name, Sergeant?" Deron prodded.

"Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, at your service," Hakeswill shot back. "Been an infantry sergeant more 'n twenty years now. Been all over, I have, and I knows most everything that needs doing in any army."

"No doubt you do," the Frenchman said, smoking his own pipe. "From what I hear of the band of deserters, they have no one to lead them and no discipline. I am thinking that all of that will change once you and I join them. With you to plan and lead raids and me to handle the day to day administration that keeps the men orderly and ready to obey your commands, I think we would have a very efficient force to make us quite a bit of money."

"I likes the way you think," Obadiah said, cackling with glee. "'Cos I was thinking the very same thing just before you came in here."

And with that, a partnership was formed.


	43. Obadiah Takes Command

Early the next morning, the Frenchman joined Obadiah Hakeswill on his journey to join up with the deserters. They meandered unhurriedly through the countryside, skirting small villages and towns, considering each one for possible future raids As they walked, the two men whiled away the hours swapping army stories and refining their plans to take over the band of deserters.

"I've always said sergeants run the army, so's this will be our chance to prove it by doin' it right out in front, instead just telling a stupid officer what to do," Hakeswill observed, twitching, as they trudged along.

"Right you are, _mon ami_," Deron said mildly. "We will show them who makes better leaders. They would do well to fear us."

"Amen to that."

The scrawny sergeant closed his eyes briefly, fantasizing about catching Richard Sharpe and Patrick Harper out on detachment and taking sweet revenge on them. First things first, though. He had to take over the deserters first and after that, the most important priority was to make as much money as he could before returning to Anna. Getting back at Sharpie was a luxury; he'd do it if the right opportunity presented itself, but he wouldn't let revenge get in the way of his main goals.

Though Obadiah had been contented enough to travel on his own, he did not mind having a travelling companion. He and the Frenchman saw eye to eye on quite a few things and, best of all, he was eating better now, even better than he did at home. The bugger hadn't lied when he'd said that he'd been the chef for Marshal Soult.

As he sat by the campfire one night having his after dinner smoke, he considered that his fellow sergeant's culinary talents would be an important weapon in winning over the deserters. In Hakeswill's years of experience, he'd seen that well-fed men tended more to be loyal soldiers than not.

Obadiah cackled to himself, thinking about the fact that he was always able to land on his feet, no matter what life threw at him. He was a survivor - and always would be. No matter what Richard Sharpe or anyone else threw at him, Obadiah Hakeswill would always come out on top.

Three days later, as the two men penetrated into the foothills, Hakeswill spotted a flash of sunlight on metal in the distance, near a group of bushes not far from where the land began its incline upwards.

Grabbing the Frenchman's sleeve, he pointed. "There's their picket."

"I see it. We have finally arrived, at last." Deron grunted in satisfaction. "It's about time, too. I am dearly sick of all this walking."

"Good for you, it is," Hakeswill replied briskly. "Keeps you young to do a lot of walking."

"I suppose you're right," the French sergeant agreed noncommittally. "But I'd rather be cooking than walking."

"You'll have plenty of time for that now, I'd wager," Hakeswill predicted. Pointing at the scruffy looking British deserter who had moved carefully forward and was now warily pointing his musket at them, he added, "I'm guessing this lot hasn't been eatin' all that well since they deserted."

Before the Frenchman could reply, the young deserter called out loudly. "State your business."

"We're here for the same bleedin' reason as everybody else in uniform who comes this way," Hakeswill sneered, twitching. "Why else would I be in the company of a Froggy without shootin' at him?"

"Up there," the private said, pointing to higher ground. "Check in with Corporal Palmer." After a beat, he added, "Got to warn you, though, that it ain't much better 'n being in the army."

"We'll take our chances," Hakeswill shot back, twitching again.

Wasting no time, the two sergeants, along with their donkeys continued uphill for about an hour before reaching a plateau, where they found a makeshift camp, larger than Hakeswill had expected. Ragged tents and other types of makeshift shelters extended in all directions, along with a few rude huts. A dilapidated farmhouse with jury-rigged roof repairs squatted under a grove of trees near the rocky hillside, with a stable in equally bad condition a short distance from it.

"Must be close to 500 men here," Obadiah speculated, as he noticed several mixed clumps of soldiers representing four nations. British and French soldiers were the majority, but there was a sizable minority of Spanish and Portuguese as well. "We whip these bleedin' sods into shape and we'll have us quite a force here. Enough to make a fair bit of trouble for both old Nosey and old Boney."

Deron didn't reply, but simply chuckled heartily, looking forward to the challenge.

They walked toward the tumbledown farmhouse, figuring it to be the most likely location to find this Corporal Palmer. As they made their way past groups of indolent deserters, they noticed it was nearly all privates, with a random smattering of corporals. They passed only one Portuguese sergeant who looked as if he'd not been one for very long when he deserted. There was no one they saw that appeared to be anything approaching senior sergeant status. And, naturally, there were no officers, as officers could merely sell their commissions if they wanted out of the army.

They found the aforementioned Corporal Palmer sitting on a log in front of a campfire near the house. Two privates sat with him as they roasted a squirrel on the fire. All three were dirty and unshaven, with hangdog expressions. Their dirty uniforms hung loose on them, bearing witness to their reduced rations since deserting.

Shaking his head, Deron exchanged a look with Hakeswill, communicating the idea that there would be much work for them to turn these aimless men into soldiers once more.

Raising his head wearily to acknowledge the newcomers, Corporal Palmer said, "You're welcome to join us, but we ain't got much in the way of provisions to share. You'll have to catch and cook whatever you can find to eat yourselves."

"Ain't you lads been making raids?" Hakeswill demanded. "You needs to keep these buggers busy. Have some to be getting firewood and improving the shelters, have some be huntin', have others scouting for supply trains, some to be lookin' for horses and mules to steal, and others to sneak into towns at night to steal whatever they can lay hands on."

"We've done a few raids, Sergeant," Palmer acknowledged wearily. "But it's been hard getting the men to work together to accomplish much of anything. Most can't think beyond basic survival and we're dealing with four languages being spoken."

"You have to give them something to fight for, see?" Hakeswill continued earnestly. "We ain't fighting for our countries or our King or Emperor no more, but we're fighting for ourselves, now. That should be motivation enough for any man."

"And it is essential that the men be well fed so they can do that," Deron put in. "I was the finest chef in all the French army, cooking for Marshal Soult himself. After cooking for these men, I guarantee you they will be good soldiers once again."

Twitching in disgust, Hakeswill added, "And you ain't got no camp followers here. A man needs more 'n good food to be a good fighter - he needs to be able to have his itches scratched on a regular basis, too, if he's going to do well. He needs to be fed and fucked to fight."

"With all due respect, Sergeant," Palmer said carefully. "You're welcome to take command of us. I've pretty well had enough of it and it's plain that you know more about what you're doing than I do. I'll be happy to help with whatever needs to be done, but I don't want the responsibility no more." Looking at the Frenchman, he added, "And I surely look forward to eating your cooking, 'cos if I keep on eating my own, I'm going to turn to bones."

"Well, you done made my job easier by bein' smart and not fighting me on this," Obadiah told the jaded corporal. "You're smart enough so's that you see that I have me more experience runnin' things and that it will be better for everyone." Twitching, he continued, "One thing every soldier understands is looting. No matter what army he's been in or what language he speaks, one of the best things about being in the army was the opportunity to plunder 'cos, God knows, the army wasn't paying us much of nothing."

Looking squarely at the three men on the log, Hakeswill said, "And now that all of you done got away clean from the army, you needs to be thinking about more than just surviving. We ain't got to obey the army rules no more, so's we can do what most of us joined the army for in the first place and that's to steal."

Encouraged by the three men nodding their heads in approval, the sergeant went on, "And I have me some good plans for raids that should get us lots of money as well as letting us steal good loot, too, mark my words." Pausing for a effect, he continued, "And I plans to get us some women in camp, too. No point in havin' all that money if we can't enjoy ourselves, eh, lads?"

"It'll be like bein' pirates on land, won't it?" one of the privates said.

Cackling contentedly, Obadiah twitched, then said, "That's right. You gets it."

Pointing to the Frenchman, he said, "With me and Sergeant Deron, otherwise known as Marshal Pot Au Feu, leadin' you boys, things is about to get a lot better for everyone around here. I'll be planning and leading the raids and my friend here will be in charge of administering the day to day details of camp life. He'll be makin' sure that everyone has better food and will personally cook for all the men he and I pick as our assistants in running things. If you lads does what he and I tells you to do, things will be fine."

He paused dramatically to let them consider what might happen if any of them chose not to follow his orders. He'd recognized one of the privates when they'd first walked up, who knew just what Obadiah was capable of, and knew the bugger would pass the word around camp about it.

Turning back to Palmer, Hakeswill ordered, "One thing I needs you to do is find a man from each of the four countries to represent his own people; ones who can speak English and ain't stupid buggers. I pick you to represent the British. Then you needs to find the best shots, as well as those who have any special skills, such as blacksmithin' and the like. After that, you needs to make an inventory of what supplies there are, so's I know what's needed and what kind of raid we needs to do first. Thinks you can manage that?"

"Yes, sir," Palmer said, happy now to be taking orders rather than having to give them. "Won't be no problem at all."

"Good," Hakeswill acknowledged, twitching briefly. "Can you read and write?"

"A little, but not real good," the corporal admitted. Indicating the shorter of the two privates with a jerk of his thumb, he said, "But Private Dixon here is good at doin' both.

"Take these two here to help you get it done, then. Do the supply inventory 'fore you do anything else, so's I know what kind of a raid we needs to do first," Hakeswill said briskly, reiterating what he'd said previously. Indicating Deron, he added, "We'll be looking at the house, finding us a place to sleep. Come back to the house once you're done to give me your report."

As soon as the three deserters had left to carry out Hakeswill's orders, he and his fellow sergeant headed first to the rickety stable to see to the donkeys.

The stable was barely habitable, but it would protect the donkeys adequately from the elements, so both men were satisfied. The structure contained a single, swaybacked mule, who looked up at the newcomers with bored indifference before returning to the hay in his trough. As Obadiah looked around, he was reminded of that stable in India where he'd first met Anna, where they'd made their first home together. The beautiful home his family now occupied in England was a far cry from that humble stable and for that, Obadiah was glad.

After he unloaded his things of the donkey's back, Hakeswill noticed that Deron had removed all the kitchen supplies and was preparing to haul them to the house.

"You should get one o' them lazy privates to come carry that for you," Obadiah observed sourly, twitching. "That's what they're there for." Watching the Frenchman struggle with his awkward load with a cynical eye, he added, "Believe you me, I got me some good work out of the bleedin' sods I commanded."

"I cannot trust those uncultured barbarians to handle my cooking tools with care," Deron explained patiently. "At one time, I did as you suggested and allowed others to handle my implements. I ended up having to replace several pots and pans that they had dented through careless treatment. So, now, no one touches these tools but me."

Hakeswill did not comment, but merely shrugged, then followed the Frenchman to the house, carrying his own personal gear and loot.

They found the house in somewhat better condition on the inside than its outer appearance would seem to indicate. There were three rooms, plus a kitchen; a large common room, with a bedroom on either side of it and the kitchen in the back.

Obadiah inspected the bedrooms while Deron took his cooking utensils to the kitchen. Both showed signs of being occupied, but that did not matter. He was in command of the deserters now, with the Froggy cook his second in command, so whoever was sleeping in here would just have to move.

After choosing a bedroom and putting his things in it, he sauntered to the kitchen where the so-called Marshal Pot Au Feu was setting it up to his liking.

"I picked me a bedroom, so the other one's yours," Hakeswill told him, sitting down at the table.

"I would imagine it's Corporal Palmer who sleeps in here," Pot Au Feu remarked blandly.

"He can sleep in the main room if he wants," Hakeswill said dismissively. "But ain't no way I'll sleep in the main room with him getting the bedroom."

"You do what you want," the Frenchman said. "I intend to cook us a meal once I set this kitchen to rights."

About a half hour later, Palmer returned, along with the privates and three more corporals representing the other nations.

He reported to Hakeswill, who was still sitting at the table, watching the French chef organizing a meal from the few ingredients available.

After the sergeant had acknowledged him, Palmer said, "These are the men you asked me to get to represent each country. I done told them about the change of command and that their job will be to relay your orders to their men."

"Good," Hakeswill said, obviously pleased.

Indicating the men in turn," the corporal continued, "This here's Corporal Pelletier for the French, Corporal Aguiar for the Portuguese, and Corporal Rodriguez for the Spanish. They all speak English well enough to translate your orders right and proper."

After acknowledging each man, Hakeswill demanded, "What about the inventory?"

"There ain't been time to do a complete inventory, but I gave a quick look at everything and can tell you right now we're real low on everything," Palmer said. "Men have been pretty well tending to themselves and not trying to provide for everyone, mostly. There ain't no livestock, 'cept one bony mule and them two donkeys you brought. Ammunition is low, too."

Rolling his eyes, the bony sergeant twitched, then repeated what he'd told them earlier for the benefit of the three new men. "Seems like we got here just in time. All of you had the courage to run off from your armies and you survived. Now, you needs to do more than survive. You fight for yourselves now, but you can do it better all together than alone. We're our own army now and we needs to be organized to get things done."

By this time, Pot Au Feu - he'd told Hakeswill earlier that he'd no longer be using his real name - had finished cooking, with enough to feed all eight men. As they all sat eating a few minutes later, the Frenchman said, "The first thing that is necessary is to stock in food provisions of all kinds. Organized hunting parties will also be necessary and we'll need livestock, particularly chickens, goats, and pigs. Later on, once we are more organized, some cattle as well. I will leave the logistics of it to my friend Hakeswill here."

"We can make night time raids on the nearby towns for the livestock," Hakeswill decided. "That should be easy to do without havin' to waste any ammunition. A hunting party can go out tonight, first thing." Turning to Palmer, he ordered, "You needs to go organize a couple of hunting parties after you've done eaten."

After the younger man had acknowledged his orders, Hakeswill continued, "For the other kinds of supplies, including ammunition and clothing, we needs to find a supply train. We won't be able to make any big attacks until we have enough ammunition to fight proper. So, for now, our main focus will be getting the food and supplies we needs, 'fore we can worry about doing any serious stealing. It will take us awhile to get organized enough for that, it should. Right now, we needs to send out a few scouts to look for supply trains, and especially smaller detachments, 'cos they'll be easier to steal from, see?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Later that evening, Obadiah went to his new quarters to write a letter to Anna to update her on his situation. Palmer had been somewhat disgruntled, but not surprised, when he'd discovered he'd been booted from the bedroom, but had adjusted well enough after Hakeswill had told him he could bunk in the main room on the sofa.

After settling himself at the small desk, he began the letter, telling his wife that he was getting along well and was now in a somewhat more stable and settled position. Again, he did not go into detail, not trusting it to the mails. He paused, still not certain of where to tell her to send him letters. There was a small town about ten miles from the camp, but to his way of thinking, the camp wasn't defensible enough to be a permanent base. He knew they'd not be able to defend their position for very long, should the British or the French ever decide to hunt them down. He intended to make it a top priority to be on the lookout for a more secure location to be their new base of operations. Only then would he feel more comfortable giving her an address to send him letters.

But as he settled himself in bed a short time later, he was satisfied with how it was going so far. He'd been able to take command of the group easily enough, as jaded and demoralized as Palmer and the other deserters had been. Things were working out, as they always had for Obadiah Hakeswill.


	44. A New Arrival

As the weeks turned into months, Obadiah Hakeswill settled easily into the command of the ever-growing deserter army. There had been a few malcontents at first who didn't want to accept his being in command, but he and Pot au Feu had sorted them out right quick. Now, as August began, the band of deserters was well-provisioned and well-organized, thanks to his efforts and that of the former Sergeant Deron. Hakeswill had trained them to be effective raiders and thieves and now that both their bellies and pockets were full, these men were willing to follow him anywhere.

He'd also established smooth working relations with several pawnbrokers and others dealing in stolen goods in the various cities and towns in the area, which had allowed him to convert most of his plunder into coins which he'd mostly sewn into his clothing and haversack. The only plunder he left in original form were jewels, which were even more easily carried than coins. Ever mindful that he might have to flee at a moment's notice, he'd wanted to make sure his loot was in the most portable form possible.

Hakeswill had also kept his promise to the men to bring women to the group. Some of the women had willingly joined up with them, mostly whores from the brothels in the various towns they raided. Others were on the run from abusive family situations. A few, mostly teens chafing under strict family rules, had even joined, looking for adventure.

There had been a few cases of unwilling women being snatched up that had turned out badly enough that Hakeswill had banned such abductions, as he didn't want anyone given free run of the camp that couldn't be trusted not to run away and give their position away to any of the fighting armies. He'd advised the men just to take any unwilling women they wanted right then and there, then to leave them where they'd been found once finished with them. Much less bother that way, in his opinion. There were plenty of women in camp now, so none of the men could complain of having to go without.

Obadiah took advantage of a couple of these women from time to time, whenever he had an itch that needed scratching, especially when he was in need of some relief from the stresses of whipping the deserters into shape. But as the months went by, he missed Anna more acutely and, as August dawned, he was keenly aware that she soon would be giving birth again.

He hated that he'd not be there with her for the blessed event, but if things kept on as well as they'd been doing for the last couple of months, he hoped to leave Spain by the end of the year. The former sergeant had netted himself quite a bit of plunder, and the group had managed so far to pretty much stay beneath the attention of the respective armies, who were too busy fighting each other to take much notice of the deserter army.

Yet Obadiah knew they'd eventually come after them once their annoyance to the armies ceased to be minor, but he intended to be the one to pick the time and place. He knew the deserters could not operate at this level unhindered indefinitely. If he was very lucky, he would have left the deserters behind and be halfway home to England before it reached that point, but he didn't really expect it to happen that way, so the best he would be able to do would be to control when and where it happened.

One afternoon, after having eaten a particularly satisfying meal, Hakeswill went to write a letter to Anna. As he sat down at the table to write, he slipped off the new British colonel's jacket he'd acquired not too long ago in a recent plundering of a detachment's camp site.

Hakeswill and a group of his handpicked favourites had been out doing some hunting and had stumbled across a small detachment camped by the side of a creek. The owner of the uniform in question happened to be frolicking in the creek with a buxom young woman, so Obadiah was able snitch the man's entire uniform and make off with it, with him being none the wiser. By the time the clueless colonel had discovered the loss of his clothes, Hakeswill was long gone. It had been a good thing, too, that the colonel had been nearly as rawboned as Obadiah himself, so the uniform was a good fit, almost as if it had been made for him.

He'd been well satisfied with it as it befitted his new position and better projected an air of authority. Hakeswill found the bicorn hat to be annoying, however, so he only wore it on horseback when there was a likelihood of encountering those he wanted to impress.

Obadiah had been able to give Anna an address to write to him some time before, so he was replying to her latest letter. She'd naturally been alarmed and confused when first hearing the news of his desertion, so he wrote soothing words of reassurance, while avoiding all mention of the fact that he now led an army of deserters. He still needed to be careful about what he wrote in a letter, plus it wasn't something he could adequately explain to her in written form.

As he continued to write, he was ever mindful that by the time she received this letter, she would have given birth and they would, if things went well, have a new son or daughter. After pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts, he wrote:

_Our new son or daughter will have been born by the time you gets this letter, so know that I was with you in spirit, if not in body, when it came time to birth that baby. I still miss you terribly and I'm thinking I can come home around the first of the year, like I'd already planned to, if things keep going well for me. Tell the new baby his Da will be coming home as soon as he can to meet him. I hate that I wasn't able to be there to see the new one born, but you knows that I love you…_

As he folded up the finished letter, getting ready to send it, he figured the baby would most likely come some time in the last two weeks of August and when she got the letter, the baby should be a few weeks old at least. By the time he got back to England, the baby would be old enough to travel.

And travel they would. Obadiah knew he'd have to move the family and go into hiding for awhile as soon as he got back to England. Though it wasn't a given, he knew it was quite possible they'd eventually come looking for him at home. He planned to take his family to go somewhere out of reach, like America or Canada, until he'd been forgotten. The war couldn't go on too many more years and, by then, the army wouldn't worry about tracking down deserters any longer. They'd simply be glad to be rid of them. He couldn't write about that to Anna, to tell her to plan for the move, so they'd just have to do the best they could once he got home,

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Two weeks later, Anna Hakeswill was awakened from a sound sleep shortly before dawn by a spreading wave of pain in her abdomen.

"Finally," she murmured to herself as she recognized the unmistakable early stages of labour. Slipping carefully out of bed, she walked calmly out into the corridor, then tapped on Catherine's door.

The older woman came to the door after a reasonable interval, blearily rubbing her eyes.

"I'm ever so sorry to bother you at such an early hour, but I believe it's my time," Anna explained. "I've been having pains."

"Quite all right, my dear," Catherine assured her. "Why don't you get yourself back into bed while I go and have Thomas go summon the midwife." As she thrust her arms into her dressing gown, she added, "I shan't be gone for long, but I'll stop in the kitchen to have tea and biscuits sent up, so I don't have to leave you alone while I have breakfast."

"Take your time," Anna told her. "It's not as if this is the first time for me. I'll just get the bed ready while you're gone."

Within minutes, Anna had settled herself in bed for her upcoming ordeal. Before climbing back in, she'd made sure Obadiah's portrait was nearby, so she could feel a sense of his presence, even though he was not there in the flesh.

Obadiah had finally sent her an address to send letters to, which made her feel somewhat better about the situation, but his letters to her had continued to be evasively cryptic about what he was doing. She'd not be able to entirely relax until he returned home to her, safe and sound.

But she couldn't worry about it now, as there was nothing she could do to control that situation at the present time. Right now, she needed to concentrate on bringing this baby into the world alive. Because she'd lost her last two babies, she had been apprehensive, but nevertheless had a gut feeling that this baby, perhaps her last, would be born hale and hearty with its father's rugged constitution.

As it turned out, there had been little need for her to worry. Her second daughter slipped easily into the world after only two hours of labour. The midwife had barely arrived before Catherine Anna Hakeswill made her entrance into the world, crying loudly for her first meal.

"What a strong, healthy girl she is," Catherine remarked after Anna had put the baby to her breast. "And what lovely auburn hair she has."

"I'm ever so relieved," Anna admitted. "I was concerned after losing my last two. But it seems as if my prayers were answered."

"She certainly is an answer to prayer," her aunt said stoutly. "It seems as if she takes after her father."

"I just hope Obadiah comes home soon to see her," Anna said as she stroked her baby's back. "It pains me that he wasn't here to see your namesake born."

"Have faith," Catherine assured her. "He'll be home as soon as he can." Clearing her throat, she added, "Why don't I call the children in to see their new sister. They've been waiting most impatiently. I know Bridget especially will be delighted to have a sister."

A few moments later, the Hakeswill children slowly filed into the bedroom to meet the newest member of the family.

"Aww," Will complained. "I was hopin' for a brother."

"You already have a brother," Bridget pointed out, her tone testy. "It's only right that I get a sister to grow up with, even though I'm so much older than her that I'll be more like her aunt than her sister. But, still, it will be ever so much fun to help Mama take care of her."

"We're a matched set, now," Barry observed sagely "Two boys and two girls. Though I think it would have been better as boy, boy, girl, girl, rather than boy, girl, boy, girl. That way Will and I would have been closer in age and you and the new baby would have been closer."

"It's time for breakfast now," Catherine told the children briskly. "Why don't you go eat and let your mother get some rest. There will be plenty of time for all of you to get acquainted with baby Catherine later."

After the children filed out and thundered down the stairs for breakfast, Anna sighed, then said peevishly, "It would be nice if Obadiah got to meet his daughter before she gets married!"

Catherine knew that Anna was tired from the ordeal of giving birth, so she let the comment go.

By this time, the midwife had packed up and was getting ready to leave. "I'll be going now, Mrs Hakeswill. I'll be at home if you need me again, but I suspect you'll be just fine. This birth is one of the easiest I've attended in years and you have a fine, healthy baby."

After the midwife had left, Catherine said, "Well, that is an answer to prayer and I would imagine things will turn out just as well with Obadiah. We just have to be patient. He's been sending you money all along, so he's taking care of us as well as he can from a distance."

Looking over at the cradle that their manservant, Thomas, had brought down from the attic just a few days before, Anna said wistfully, "I remember when Obadiah made that cradle, not long after I realized Barry was on the way. We were in India, living in a converted stable, of all places. We didn't have much then, but we were both so happy just to be together. Every time I look at this cradle, I think of how much he loves us and I miss him all that much more."

"I know, dear," Catherine said, patting her hand. "But this little baby will keep you so busy in the next few months that you won't have all that much time to miss Obadiah. Why don't I take the baby now and put her down for a nap, so you can get a bit of rest yourself? I'll come check on you later."

But after her aunt left, she still thought about Obadiah, wondering what he was doing at that very moment, unaware that his second daughter had just been born.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Over the next several weeks, the deserter army was almost constantly on the move, seeking to avoid direct contact with the main bodies of the British and French armies. They did well attacking smaller detachments, but Obadiah knew they were no match to take on the bulk of English or French forces. It was such that it interfered with their planned raids. As they continued their peripatetic wanderings, Hakeswill and Pot au Feu both knew they needed to find a suitable spot for a permanent base soon.

While eating lunch with the Frenchman one day in early October, Obadiah broached the topic again. "We needs to be finding us a good place to hole up over the winter, 'cos it should start to get cold pretty soon. And it needs to be somewhere where no one can sneak up on us easily and we have the defensive advantage."

"It also needs to be in an area where the population is unlikely to put up any organized resistance against us," Pot Au Feu put in. "And most of the places we've considered so far do not meet all those conditions."

"Well, Aguiar came to me not too long ago and told me there's a place on the border of Portugal and Spain they call the Gateway of God," Hakeswill said, briefly twitching. "There's an old, abandoned convent that would be a perfect place for us to set up a base. Plus there's an unmanned watch tower nearby, high up, where anyone approaching from either direction can be easily seen, 'cos all the roads are down in a valley, with the convent and watchtower bein' up high. There's also a small village, Adrados, nearby that shouldn't give us any trouble we can't easily handle."

"It would seem that might also be a place where we could hold hostages," Pot au Feu speculated. "We've really not been able to do that because we had no secure place to hold them."

"I thinks we can make some good money that way," Hakeswill said. "Lots of them high and mighty officers brings their wives and mistresses down here - in both your army and mine. Lots of possibilities there."

"How right you are," Pot au Feu agreed. "When I cooked for Marshal Soult, there were often more women among the dinner guests than officers and most of them were brought out from France, too, and were not local women."

"I saw plenty of them high society women in our camps, too," Obadiah said. "Seems there were some comin' and goin' all the time. And that's when we'd get 'em; when they're travelling, 'cos they'd be with a smaller detachment then. Should be as easy as takin' candy from a baby to kidnap some of these bints." Cackling gleefully, he continued, "And I bet none of 'em have ever been with a real man before, other than them pansy fops, which can't be counted as real men, see?"

"I do see," Pot au Feu replied, grinning broadly. "Depending on what type of hostages we take, we can drag it out, too. We demand more money when they bring the original amount, as an example, for when the one paying has much money at their disposal. And, of course, there will be those women we have no intention of releasing, that we intend to use for our own purposes in the end, anyway, so why not try to get as much money as possible before doing it, no?"

"I likes the way you think," Hakeswill said, twitching. "I'm thinking that Adrados will be a good place for us, all around.

"We'll go into winter bivouac there, then we can start our raiding again in the spring, moving to wherever the armies move to," Pot au Feu declared. "I, for one, look forward to an extended period of time to devote to cooking."

"That we will," Hakeswill agreed, not meeting the Frenchman's eyes as he twitched again.

Obadiah had no intention of still being in Spain come spring. He'd participate in a kidnapping scheme or two if the opportunity presented itself, but he planned to leave Spain by the first of the year and be back with his sweet Anna before spring was in full bloom. Along with the uniform he'd stolen some time ago, he'd found some useful maps and already knew the route he'd take to get to the Portuguese coast to find a ship to book passage home on.

He'd tell Pot au Feu of his plans at some point, but there was no need for him to know now, since Obadiah intended to remain in command of the deserter army until he was ready to leave. At that time, he'd turn it all over to the Frenchman to run as he saw fit. He'd been in Spain long enough and it was about time to rejoin his family.


	45. Hostages

It was a couple of weeks more before the deserter army was on the move to its new home. The former Sergeant Hakeswill sent a reconnaissance party ahead to check out the Adrados area to make sure there would be no nasty surprises waiting for them once they arrived, as there was no use coming all that way, just to be mowed down by regular British or French forces waiting for them, or by another guerrilla organization.

When the scouting party returned, the news was encouraging. Adrados was a small, sleepy village with no military presence, with the population mostly devout. There was an annual Day of Miracles that would occur soon, that would bring women from all over to pray to the Virgin Mary, because at one point the Virgin had blessed the Adrados church and convent.

At hearing this, Hakeswill and Pot au Feu both smiled broadly. "Seems like the perfect way to add to our camp followers," Pot au Feu speculated, rubbing the whiskers on his chin. "The men could use something fresh and innocent for a change."

"Right you are," Obadiah agreed, cackling in contentment. "Might find us some rich bugger's wife, there, too, that we can kidnap and get us some good money for. Eh?"

"If fortune smiles upon us, then yes," the Frenchman agreed. "And things have been quite fortunate for us so far."

Wasting no time, the deserter army started toward Adrados early the very next day. The procession was a far cry from how Hakeswill and the former Sergeant Deron had arrived at the deserter's camp a few months before. Both men were now mounted on fine horses as they led the procession, which included wagons full of provisions, heading north-westward to the border town.

The trip to Adrados would take about three days, because they were taking back roads not often frequented by British or French troops. They were close enough to send scouting parties to detect any detachments travelling nearby, which would allow them to make an impromptu raid should such an opportunity present itself. The deserters had plenty of supplies already, but both Hakeswill and Pot au Feu never passed up any good opportunities to get more.

As they started out, the weather was cool and crisp, though somewhat overcast. Obadiah expected they'd make good time, though he wasn't hurrying the men. Excessive haste could lead to blundering into a superior force without warning, which was something he wanted to avoid. In any confrontation, he wanted to the one who controlled when, where, and how battle would be initiated.

They didn't encounter anyone in their travels on the first day out, save for a few peasants riding in a donkey cart. The peasants had nothing Obadiah thought worth stealing, so he let them pass without incident.

Late the next afternoon, however, a scouting patrol came out of the trees to report back to Hakeswill.

"There's a closed carriage coming down the river road with four Crapaud outriders, along with the driver and footman, sir," the British private announced. "Ain't no one else with them."

"Did you see what was inside it?" Hakeswill asked eagerly, twitching, as he leaned forward to listen more closely to the report.

"Aye," said the younger man, grinning. "It was a woman, and a right fine lookin' wench at that. Blond, she was."

Hakeswill and Pot au Feu, exchanged knowing glances, each reading the other's mind. "Are you thinking the same thing I am, Hakeswill?" Pot au Feu demanded, grinning wolfishly

"That I am," Hakeswill said, cackling as he rubbed his hands together in gleeful anticipation, rocking back and forth slightly on the saddle. "I think we done got us our first hostage, we have."

"I'd say it's likely a fairly high ranking officer's wife, judging by the number of outriders," Pot au Feu speculated. "That, and because she's riding in a closed carriage. She no doubt has her maid with her as well, I would say."

"We'll take the maid, too," Obadiah decided, twitching. "But we'll keep that one for ourselves and not bother trying to get no ransom for her. We'll make plenty of good use of her right here with us, eh?"

Turning to gesture to the group of sharpshooters who rode directly behind him and Pot au Feu, he waited until they were all within earshot before speaking.

"I wants you to take out all the outriders first, quick as you can," Hakeswill ordered briskly. "Try not to kill the driver and the footman 'til you get the carriage stopped and under control, see? Don't give none of 'em a chance to fight back."

After they nodded understanding, the former sergeant continued, twitching. "We'll wait just out of sight 'til you gets the situation under control."

He called a rest stop then for the rest of the men, telling them to stay as much out of sight as possible and to be ready to move should there be any unforeseen trouble. Obadiah didn't expect any problems, however, not with a detachment that small.

The sharpshooters sped off then, with Hakeswill and Pot au Feu following to watch the fun from behind cover.

It was over almost before it had even begun. In a practiced manoeuvre, the sharpshooters burst out of the woods behind the detachment, with each man choosing an outrider to shoot, while another group poised to run in front of the carriage to stop it as soon as the outriders were brought down.

In an instant, Hakeswill's men had picked off their chosen men, with the shots coming nearly in unison. The French soldiers had not had time to react before they were sprawled in the road, with their life's blood draining into the dirt. Even before Hakeswill and Pot au Feu had come out onto the road, the sharpshooters were on the men they'd just killed, plundering their pockets while busily stripping the corpses of their uniforms and boots.

As Obadiah and his French counterpart had reached the carriage door, the driver and footman had been similarly disposed of and their bodies were rolled into a ditch by the side of the road, along with those of the outriders.

"Nice coach," Hakeswill said, as they came to a halt. "Believe we'll take it with us. We likely could get some good money for it, or else use it ourselves."

"Whatever you say, Obadiah," Pot au Feu agreed mildly. "As for me, I'm more interested in what's inside that coach."

Both men could hear the sound of weeping and another female voice murmuring inside the coach, but the curtain had been pulled shut to conceal them from view.

"Come on, missy, show yourself," Obadiah bawled, impatient to get on with it. "We ain't got all day here."

A moment later, a hand parted the curtains, slowly and reluctantly, to reveal a slender blond woman in her late 20s. Lifting her face hesitantly to look Obadiah Hakeswill in the eye, she was determined not to let her fear show in front of this man.

"What do you want, Colonel?" she said in perfect King's English, in a braver tone than she was feeling.. "Why have you stopped us? We have done nothing wrong."

Obadiah, however, was well aware of her fear and he counted on it to keep her cautious and docile.

"You're an English lassie," he said, twitching. "What are you doing travelin' with a bunch of Froggies, eh? Are you their prisoner?"

"No," she replied softly. "I am married to a French officer. We met and married before the war."

"A likely story!" Hakeswill snapped, cackling malevolently. "A spy is more likely what you are, way I sees it." Cackling again at the fright clearly showing on her face, he continued, "Good thing for you is that I ain't fightin' for King and country no more, any more than my friend here is fightin' for Old Boney. Fighting for ourselves now, we are."

"Deserters…" she said, now completely terrified, as just who these men were dawned on her.

"What's your name, missy?" Obadiah asked, dismounting to stand by the coach's open window. "And who is your husband?"

"My name is Sarah Dubreton," she answered warily. "And my husband is _Chef du Battalion_, Colonel Michel Dubreton."

"Ohh" Hakeswill said, twitching. Suddenly bringing his face close to hers at the window, he demanded, "Got much money, does he, eh?" Extending a finger, he stroked the material of her gown. "That's fine silk, it is. He can't be hurtin', if he dresses you so nice."

Suddenly understanding what the deserters wanted with her, she quickly replied, "He is quite well-to-do and would pay most handsomely to see me safely returned to him."

"That's what I thought," he said confidently, reaching to open the coach's door. "Well, missy, you're going to be our guest for awhile, see? That is, until we finds out just how much your husband thinks you're worth to him, that is."

Cackling nastily, he grabbed her arm to propel her out of the coach. Seeing the maid cowering inside, he ordered, "You, too, missy. Get yourself out here, where I can see you better."

"Do not worry, Madame Dubreton," Pot au Feu said smoothly. "My friend Hakeswill here and I will assure that you will be not harmed by our men. You are under our protection."

Sarah glanced again nervously at the twitching Obadiah Hakeswill, who looked as if he'd like nothing better than to violate her on the spot, but she gave a tentative smile to the Frenchman. "I thank you, Monsieur." After a pause, she asked, "I have your word as gentlemen?"

"Gentlemen?" Obadiah spat contemptuously. "I ain't no prissy, prancing gentleman. I was born and raised in the gutter. But I gives you my word, anyway, 'cos you wouldn't bring us near as much money if we turns you back over to your husband well-used."

"Of course, Madame," Pot au Feu assured her. "I will even cook for you when we arrived at our destination. I was the cook for Marshal Soult, so you will be sure to enjoy it."

There was nothing for it, so Sarah Dubreton was determined to make the best of it, as well as she could.

Meanwhile, Hakeswill had climbed inside the coach to ransack it. He quickly found what money the women had, a case of jewellery - and a finely balanced pistol. Clambering back out, he held up the pistol and said, "I thank you for the gold and the sparklies, but both you women will have be searched. Can't have you shootin' us in the back now, can we, eh?"

Gesturing to one of the men avidly watching the exchange, he ordered, "Go get a couple of the women to come up here and search these two."

"Oh, please, no!" Sarah begged helplessly.

"Would you rather I do it?" Obadiah said, leering at her generous cleavage. "Won't be no problem at all, and I promises to be quite…thorough…'cos I'd have to strip you naked to do a proper job of it, see?"

"The women will be fine," she murmured, now thoroughly intimidated by Obadiah Hakeswill.

A short time later, two Spanish camp followers were brought to the coach. Both of them stepped inside the coach with one woman at a time to search, while the other waited outside with the men.

Two knives were found, but otherwise, the women were not armed.

Thanking the camp women after they'd finished, Obadiah thought to reward them for their assistance, "You can keep the knives for yourselves."

Turning back to Sarah and her maid, Hakeswill said, "Get back in there, so's we can be on our way. We've spent too much time here as it is." Giving both women a meaningful look, he added, "And don't you think of doing nothing stupid to try to escape. There will be armed men driving this thing and ridin' in the footman position, too. You tries to make a break for it and you'll be shot down like dogs. Just be grateful I'm letting you ride in there at all."

Obadiah was not letting them ride there out of the goodness of his heart, however. It was simply easier to watch them and keep them contained if they rode in the coach than to have them walk

After men had been assigned to the coach, and they'd gathered up the horses of the dead outriders, the deserter column was on its way once more.

The rest of the day passed by in uneventful smoothness and they did not encounter anyone else on the road. Hakeswill had placed the coach within sight behind him and Pot au Feu, with the women inside remaining quiet and docile..

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next morning, Maria Sanchez got up early to walk to Adrados to attend this year's Day of Miracles gathering, as she'd done for the last three years. She'd been married for nearly eleven years and, after all this time, she and her husband, Ernesto, were still childless.

Maria would have been happy enough to accept that this was God's will for her, considering that their marriage was not a happy one. But Ernesto had insisted she visit the Adrados church every year for the Day of Miracles to pray to the Virgin for a child. He'd told her that it should not be too much of a bother for her, considering that they lived not far outside the small village.

She did not argue with her husband about it, or anything else, for that matter. Ernesto had a hot temper and was quick to use his fists to make his points and their lack of children was a particularly sore spot between them. The abuse had gotten worse the more time passed without her bearing him a son.

Trudging along uphill to Adrados, her mind wandered back to her happy childhood in Cadiz, where she and her mother had lived looking forward to her father's infrequent visits. Benjamin Wilson was an English sailor, so young Maria had grown up fluent in both languages.

She'd lost both her parents within months of one another when she was twenty, so she'd married the first man who had asked her, who, unfortunately, had turned out to be Ernesto Sanchez. She'd spent the better part of the last eleven years regretting that decision.

Maria hoped this year's pilgrimage would finally bear fruit and that she would soon conceive. Perhaps a baby would ease Ernesto's anger toward her and he would then act as a husband should.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Isabella, Lady Farthingdale, had arrived in Adrados on the evening before the Day of Miracles, for the same purpose as Maria Sanchez. She wasn't in fear of violence from her aging husband but, rather, was in danger of being bored to death by the old aristocrat.

The fact that she'd not conceived yet was no surprise to Isabella, considering how often Augustus had been unable to complete the marital act with her. And although lying with her decades-older husband was quite unappealing to her, considering all the gorgeous men she'd bedded during her years as a high-class whore, she was as interested in producing an heir as he was. It would cement her position in Augustus' life and would leave her well-provided for when the inevitable happened to him. She hoped it would be sooner, rather than later, and with him being in the army as well as being old, the odds of that were not at all remote.

Isabella did not really believe that praying to the Virgin Mary would produce the desired effect for her, but it was a good excuse to go on a trip by herself without her husband's suffocating presence. He'd sent a small detachment along to protect her, but these young fops had not been too hard to manipulate and she had been able to do as she'd pleased while away from home. Perhaps she could even find a virile young man to impregnate her, to pass off on Augustus as his own, because there was very little chance of her conceiving by means of his erratic libido.

Both Maria Sanchez and Lady Isabella arrived early at the church in order to get good seats. Neither took any notice of the other, as the church was full of other women waiting for the service to begin as well.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The deserter army, with Hakeswill and Pot au Feu leading the column, arrived in the outskirts of Adrados by mid-afternoon, while the church was still packed with praying women. The men, both villagers and visitors, were mostly drinking in the town's two taverns while their women prayed, and were entirely oblivious to the group's approach.

As Hakeswill's band entered the sleepy village, there were few people on the streets to take note and those they saw did not pay them any particular attention..

"Ain't no one manning that guard tower, it seems," Hakeswill observed as they carefully proceeded into the town, looking all around. "Makes our job that much easier, it does."

"That it does," Pot au Feu agreed, sighing wearily, glad their trip was at an end.

"Still, we needs to roust out any possible resistance," Obadiah considered. "Not that there's likely to be much, but we still don't need to lose any men if we can help it, eh?"

Pot au Feu nodded in agreement as the group approached one of the taverns, where it was evident that the establishment was full of patrons. The church was not far beyond the tavern, on the left a few doors down.

Hakeswill gestured to Palmer, to come up front as he and Pot au Feu stopped just before the church. Palmer was leading the column of multi-national soldiers behind the coach containing Mme Dubreton and her maid

When the man reached him, he ordered, "I needs you to send some men to roust out that tavern and stop any resistance before it begins. Send others around the rest of the town to flush out any other possible resistance, and then some into that church to secure the women inside. And leave a few out here to catch anyone who tries to run and to watch the coach. Wait for my signal."

After Palmer had hurried back to the column and explained what was to be done, Hakeswill waited for word to spread throughout the column. Finally, he drew his sword, then let it fall to give the signal.

The first group rushed into the tavern, brandishing bayonet tipped muskets. A loud ruckus soon ensued from inside the premises as they subdued the drinking men within. Another group spread out through the town, shooting or bayoneting anyone who resisted.

A third group invaded the church, where screams were heard as they thundered up the aisles.

As Hakeswill and Pot au Feu remained in the saddle just outside the church, two young, pudgy, pasty-faced officers came out of the church, completely confused by the commotion.

"You!" Hakeswill called out loudly to the closest one. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"Escorting Lady Farthingdale, sir," one of them said, scratching his head as he looked up at Hakeswill, unable to figure out why this colonel rode with a French officer. He appeared to be no more than sixteen and as if he'd not long left his mother's side.

"Escorting Lady Farthingdale, sir," Obadiah repeated, mimicking the young officer's posh accent and high pitch. Glaring down at the inexperienced officer, he demanded, "Who is Lady Farthingdale, you friggin' fop?"

Looking around nervously at the marauding deserters, who were still shooting and bayoneting and dragging people out of buildings, he whined plaintively, "Sir, I must protest. Please call off these ruffians at once!"

Obadiah had had enough of this clueless fop. Twitching, then rolling his eyes in disgust, he turned to a red haired, bearded private standing by his horse. "Shoot him, Smithers."

As the scruffy deserter did so with obvious relish, Hakeswill drew his own pistol and shot the other officer still standing in the doorway of the church. It had to be done, lest the buggers go back and report their presence to their commanding officer.

Turning to another private, Kelly, he instructed, "Go in there and bring this Lady Farthingdale out. I'm thinking we've done got us another useful hostage."

"Right away, sir," Kelly said, immediately going to do Hakeswill's bidding.

He reappeared moments later, dragging along an attractive, well-dressed woman of Spanish or Portuguese descent, who was of a similar age to Mme Dubreton. A French soldier came right behind him, propelling Maria Sanchez.

"Here's Lady Farthingdale, sir," Kelly said, leering down at the angry woman. "Worth a good bit of money, I don't wonder."

"Too right you are," Hakeswill agreed, cackling malevolently.


	46. Arrival at the Convent

Lady Farthingdale stared at Obadiah Hakeswill and Pot au Feu, her expression reminiscent of someone who had just been drenched with a bucket of dirty water. Because she'd been in church, she was covered up in a heavy, long cape that concealed much of her body from view.

Liking what he saw, Hakeswill turned to Pot au Feu and remarked, "Lord Farthingdale's a lucky bastard, eh, _mon ami_?"

The Frenchman gave her the once-over, giving her attire a critical eye. "Maybe. But that cape of hers is like an over rich sauce that conceals the true taste of the dish."

Grinning at Pot au Feu's wit, Obadiah chortled lasciviously. Looking at Kelly, who was still leering at her, he ordered harshly, "Strip her, Kelly."

Before Kelly could comply however, Lady Farthingdale glared defiantly up at Obadiah and snapped, "I'll do it myself."

The young woman unclasped the cape, then slowly removed the heavy, opaque garment to reveal a simple white gown in the latest fashion that displayed a generous amount of her ample cleavage.

"Oooo," Hakeswill exclaimed softly in appreciation, thinking of how nice it would be to ride her.

"What is your husband's full name, Madame," Pot au Feu inquired, wanting to get on with it.

"Sir Augustus Farthingdale."

"Is he a general," Hakeswill demanded expectantly.

"No, he's a colonel - like you." Her voice was dripping with unconcealed scorn.

"Watch your lip, milady," Obadiah shot back, amused by her feistiness. It would be a distinct pleasure to grapple in bed with this one. "If you indeed _are _a lady. Look more like a Portuguese whore to me, you do."

"Here's my wedding ring," she said, removing her glove, then twisting the band off. "It has our initials engraved in it." Throwing the ring at Pot au Feu, she added, "Here's your proof."

Hakeswill dismounted and moved close to Isabella to get a better look at her.

Standing toe to toe with the young woman, whose face clearly showed her discomfort at having her personal space violated, Obadiah demanded, "How long you been married, then?"

"Six months."

"So, the shine's still on it, eh?" Obadiah quipped, staring at her cleavage as he ran an exploratory finger into it.

Isabella rolled her eyes at Hakeswill's crude double entendre, but did not reply.

"What brings you up here to this church," he asked, turning businesslike once more, though still idly fingering her cleavage.

"The statue of the Holy Mother in this church is said to have special powers," she explained, wishing she could slap Hakeswill's wandering fingers away. "I came to pray for a child."

"Lord Farthingdale is still shooting blanks, eh?" Obadiah cackled, pulling the young wife hard against his body, where she could feel his desire for her. "Never you mind, missy. I'll give you a full blown belly by sundown."

"Is your husband rich, Madame?" Pot au Feu asked patiently.

"Very," she replied briefly, unsuccessfully trying to keep the revulsion off her face in reaction to Hakeswill pawing her.

"Well, think how much he'll give us to get her back," Obadiah speculated, his hands still roaming.

"A lot," she said flatly.

"See?" Obadiah was pleased it was working out so well.

"And how much of your belly is full by my friend Hakeswill here?" Pot au Feu asked.

"None of it." She grimaced at the very thought of it.

"So you must leave her alone," the Frenchman admonished Obadiah, wagging an indulgent finger at him. "And our friend who we found yesterday…until we have the gold." Chuckling at Hakeswill's eagerness to ravish the comely young woman, he emphasized, "You must find another chicken for your pot."

Obadiah looked around and spotted Maria Sanchez, still being held behind Lady Farthingdale. Though, not as shapely or as young as Isabella, she would do, nonetheless.

Poking his swagger stick in her direction, he declared, "This one's mine! Bring her along."

"Is this how the English treat their allies?" Lady Farthingdale asked indignantly.

"We follow no flag, missy," Obadiah told her proudly, now having mounted his horse again. "British, Froggy, Portuguese. We fight for ourselves now."

Gesturing to Kelly to take charge of her, he ordered, "Let's go find the convent and find somewhere to stash our two valuable hostages."

"Should I put her in the carriage with the other one, sir?" Kelly asked.

"No," Hakeswill said. "Make her walk with you. It ain't far now."

A short time later, they'd arrived at the convent, which was relatively secure, because of the cloistered nature of the order of nuns who'd previously inhabited the place. A sentry was put at the gated entrance to the cloister with the hostages temporarily locked in a windowless storage room until a better place could be found for them. After turning over their horses to privates who took them to nearby stables, Obadiah and Pot au Feu explored every inch of the place.

There was a large courtyard in the centre of the convent, with rooms running off it on all sides, and more rooms yet running off those rooms. The ground floor rooms were also honeycombed with narrow shortcut passageways, some with semi-hidden entrances. Some of these passages led to half-hidden exits out the back side of the convent, some screened with plant growth.

They found a good-sized kitchen, with sufficient storage, plus a spacious refectory nearby that pleased the French chef.

"Plenty of room for me to cook!" Pot au Feu enthused. I know I will be happy here."

"This place is perfect," Obadiah marvelled a few minutes later, as they found a hidden staircase leading upstairs. "Good for defence, it is, and there's all sorts of hidey holes in here and ways to get out quick if we needs to."

"It was a good idea to come here," Pot au Feu agreed. "We chose well."

Upstairs was configured similarly to the ground floor, but with walkways overlooking all four sides of the courtyard. On one wall were four tiny rooms with grated windows looking in, which would be perfect to use for the hostages, with two left over for more hostages or troublemakers among their own. On another wall were two suites, each with two rooms, a balcony and a back passageway that led to the stairs that led to the rear exit near the stables. They appeared to have been used as offices with living quarters attached, no doubt having belonged to the Mother Superior and her deputy, Each suite had its own a small storage closet, in which they were able to lock up their valuables.

Obadiah and Pot au Feu each took one of these suites for their private quarters. In between the two suites, accessible only through the outer walkway, were two much smaller rooms. Hakeswill decided that the Spanish woman he'd chosen for himself would sleep here, where she'd be easily accessible to him at night.

"Let's go get our hostages situated for the night," Hakeswill said to his companion, the thoughts of Maria Sanchez bringing the subject back to his attention. "We've pretty much seen what there is to see up here."

"Fine," Pot au Feu said, as the two headed to the stairs. "I want to get started in the kitchen, anyway."

Moments later, as they walked to the supply room where the women had been temporarily secured, they passed men unloading supply wagons and setting up camp out behind the convent building. There was sufficient land behind the convent to set up tents for all the men in an area not far from the watchtower that overlooked the valley and the roads below.

Kelly was standing guard by the door as they walked up, with the French deserter still guarding Maria Sanchez, who'd been allowed to sit on a wooden box as she waited for Hakeswill to come claim her. Though frightened and apprehensive, she was not hysterical, and sat quietly as the two deserters bantered as they'd waited for Hakeswill and Pot au Feu to return. She'd seen Ernesto's dead body lying in the street when she'd been marched to the convent, no doubt killed during the melee during the raid on one of the taverns. Though she'd not loved him, the senselessness of his death kept her sombrely silent as she sat waiting on the box.

As the two privates came to attention at the sight of the former sergeants approaching, Hakeswill called out, "Let them women out of there. We done found a good place to keep them upstairs."

The three women stumbled out after Kelly opened the door for them, rubbing their eyes to help them adjust to the light, as it had been pitch dark inside the windowless storeroom. Sarah Dubreton and her maid carried what they'd been allowed to keep from the coach, while Lady Farthingdale had no more than the clothes on her back.

Pointing at the maid, Kelly asked, "What do you want me to do with her, Guv'nor?"

Before Hakeswill could reply, Pot au Feu stepped in. "I will take her. She will need someone who can speak French. Also, she can help me in the kitchen. I will need a good assistant." He quickly repeated himself in French for her benefit, after which she followed him willingly enough, if not eagerly. It wasn't an ideal situation, but the situation could have ended up far worse for her.

Turning to Hakeswill, he said, "Have them put her things in my room. Now, I will show her the kitchen." Gesturing to the maid and speaking a few soft words to her, Pot au Feu headed off to the kitchen to organize the supplies being brought in, with the woman, Suzette, trailing beside him.

Kelly and the French soldier chivvied the two hostages along to the stairway Hakeswill indicated, while the ex-sergeant grabbed Maria's hand to propel her along.

"In here," Hakeswill said, pointing as they reached the row of cell-like rooms. "Give them each their own cell."

After both women had been herded into their cells, Hakeswill spied a ring of keys hanging on a hook at the end of the corridor. He stepped over to grab them, then handed them to Kelly, "Try these and see if you can lock the doors with them. If not, we got plenty of padlocks we can use to keep 'em in there."

The keys worked, so Obadiah continued, "Go and get one of the women to bring up a pillow, a blanket, and sheet for each of 'em, then see that they're given something to eat."

Turning to Maria Sanchez, who had not yet said a word since being captured, he said, "Come along with me, missy, and I'll shows you where you're going to sleep." After a pause, he belatedly added, "Speak English, do you?"

"I do," she replied briefly as they walked along to Hakeswill's quarters. "My father was English."

"Good," he said, twitching. "Make things easier for us, it will. I knows me a bit of Spanish, but not enough to hold any sort of real conversation with someone."

Entering his suite a moment later, he told her, "This here's where I'll be sleeping. I expects you'll be spending a fair amount of time in here with me. But there's another room just for you next door for you to sleep in." He didn't trust her to sleep in the bed with him all night. "We'll get some bedding and a broom brought up here from one of the supply wagons, so's you can get these rooms fit to live in."

She did not speak, but merely waited to hear what he'd say next. In her marriage to Ernesto, Maria had learned it was better to listen more than she spoke. She'd let this English deserter talk more, so she'd get a better idea of how she could expect to be treated by him.

He suddenly pulled her into his arms, giving her a harsh kiss. "What's your name, missy?" he growled, clearly aroused.

"Maria," she replied, looking away from him.

"You can call me by my Christian name, Obadiah." Turning her face back to his with his thumb, he said, "We needs to get a few things straight here." Twitching briefly, Obadiah continued, "You're mine, see? While you're with us, you don't let anyone do you but me. You have an itch, you comes to me for your scratching and nobody else. You do as I say, and I'll treat you right and protect you from them nasty buggers, eh?"

"I understand," she replied in almost a whisper, trying not to let him see the tears welling in her eyes..

_Dios_, he was so homely and crude, Maria thought to herself as Hakeswill continued to hold her, his hands now roaming. But Ernesto had been such a handsome man and a smooth talker besides, neither of which had brought her any happiness, so perhaps such things were overrated. And, now, with Ernesto dead, she had no one left in the world. If she had to remain with this group of deserters, at least she would not have to worry about where her next meal was coming from. And it was a small comfort to know she would not be passed around from man to man, nor have to live among the _putas_ in the tent encampment. She would survive and make the best of her situation, which is what she'd done her entire life.

"Don't cry, missy," Obadiah said, noticing a single tear that had escaped from her eye. "I don't want to hurt you and you'll be fine stayin' with me, see?"

"It's just that I just saw my husband dead in the road on the way up here," she explained, her eyes downcast.

"Wrong place at the wrong time then, he was," he said unapologetically, twitching. "You got any little 'uns you needs to have brought up here to be with you? I won't keep you from carin' for them, 'cos that's only right."

"I do not have any children," Maria told him sadly. "That was why I was in the church today. I've been coming for years to pray for a child on the Day of Miracles."

"Ohhh," he said, not entirely unsympathetic. "My wife and I have been lucky. I done planted four babies in her; the last one is but a few of weeks old, she is."

She just looked at him dumbly, finding it hard to imagine this man being married, let alone with several children.

After an awkward silence, he pulled her against him again, nuzzling her neck. "Come here and let Obadiah make it all better. I'll gives you something to take your mind off your troubles, mark my words. Might even end up giving you a bellyful at some point, too, who knows, eh?".

Maria shuddered at the very thought of it, but sighed and gave herself over to the inevitable. If she'd not had a baby in eleven years of marriage, she was most likely barren, so she had little worry that she'd end up pregnant by this twitching Englishman.

Oblivious to her turmoil, Obadiah was simply intent on getting his itch scratched. He looked around at the dusty room, frowning, then said, "Nowhere to lay you down just yet. But I can't wait until I gets the bed set up in here."

Nudging her toward the wall, he spun her around to face it. "Up against the wall with you then, missy. This won't take long. It'll be better later on, once I get a bed set up in here, but for now, I just got to have it."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Nearly an hour later, Obadiah sat relaxing in the convent's refectory eating the delicious meal Pot au Feu had prepared for them. He'd allowed Maria to eat with him, with her now sitting silently at his side as she slowly ate. Pot au Feu had ordered the hostages brought down to share the meal with him and Hakeswill. They, too, had little to say as they ate, still disgusted by their captors. Though the food was good and plentiful, the two women ate little, but mainly pushed their food around on the plate, despite the Frenchman's urgings. Suzette, the maid, served them before taking her meal back in kitchen, as both men knew she wouldn't run as long as her employer was held as a hostage.

Later, once the two hostages had been returned to their cells and Maria had gone to the kitchen to help Suzette with the dinner dishes, Hakeswill and Pot au Feu sat enjoying a bottle of wine.

"How much do you think we could get for the two of them " Pot au Feu asked Obadiah, leaning back in his chair.

"I'm guessing about 500 guineas each," Obadiah proposed. "Anything less ain't worth our time. And anything more, they'd attack first rather than pay us."

"I agree," the Frenchman said. "They'll eventually attack anyway, when we take their money and demand more before releasing them."

"We needs to milk as much out of it as we can," Obadiah pointed out, "We keeps them 'til they become more trouble to us than they're worth."

"I'd say we'll likely be able to get them to pay twice before they decide to attack us, instead," Pot au Feu guessed. "We'll ask double for the second time."

"I think we should hold 'em for a couple of weeks at least before sending out the ransom notes," Hakeswill proposed. "Let 'em sweat it out for awhile wonderin' what happened to their women. They'll be more likely to want to pay if they're desperate."

"Agreed." Pot au Feu quickly assented, pouring both of them another glass of wine.

The Frenchman extended his hand to Hakeswill and the two shook on it, happy with their plans.


	47. Life at the Convent

Shortly after the arrival of the deserter army, a wary truce had been made with the village of Adrados. The day after their arrival, Obadiah and Pot au Feu had summoned the town's mayor to the convent, sending a couple of men to escort him to make sure he complied. The man had been confused when the soldiers had led him into the refectory, where he'd been served a delicious meal, while the two men had told him just exactly how things were going to be if he wished to remain mayor.

Using Maria as translator, they told him that as long as he did not send for any soldiers and he did not interfere with anything that happened within the convent, that he'd be allowed keep his job and they would likewise leave him alone. It was also made clear to him that he'd be held responsible for the behaviour of the villagers and if they did anything disapproved of by Hakeswill or Pot au Feu, he would be the one to pay the price.

The middle-aged Spaniard gulped as Maria patiently translated Obadiah's words. Looking into the twitching Englishman's eyes, he knew that Hakeswill meant what he said. Nor was he taken in by the Frenchman's excessively effusive bonhomie. These were ruthless men who would do whatever they deemed necessary to maintain control.

When he was escorted back to the village after agreeing to all their terms, the mayor went straight to bed after arriving home, telling his wife he had a headache. He would do as the leaders of the rogue soldiers had demanded, if only to ensure the continued health of his wife and family.

Over the next couple of weeks, the deserter army settled in and soon became comfortably accustomed to garrison life inside the old convent. New routines were established, mostly to ensure security of the installation and to keep the hostages from escaping. Guards were posted at key points and at the watchtower overlooking the roads below leading into Adrados. Regular patrols were also sent out to monitor any army or guerrilla activity in the area.

Hakeswill also made sure that the men drilled on a regular basis, to keep their skills sharp, because the likelihood of an attack would be greatly increased once they sent the ransom notes for the hostages. They weren't drilled as hard as when they'd been in their respective armies, however, but just enough so that their skills would not deteriorate and that they'd have enough to do each day to keep from getting bored. If they got too bored, they'd get into mischief, so Obadiah wanted to ensure that whatever mischief they got into served his purposes and was done when he wanted it done.

Pot au Feu took advantage of the time to start training several chefs and kitchen personnel, including several of the camp women in these tasks. He wanted to make sure all the men had decent food, even if he could not himself personally cook for each one of them. The Frenchman also organized the camp laundry and housekeeping details, so between him and Hakeswill, the garrison was run as efficiently as the regular army.

Nevertheless, the deserters had a lot more free time than they'd ever had in the army, as well as having much better food. The men mainly spent such time cavorting with the camp women, as well as drinking their daily allotment of rum, gin, or whatever could be found in sufficient quantities. The men were content, which kept them willing to do Hakeswill's bidding.

Maria Sanchez had also adjusted better than she'd expected to in her role among the deserters as Hakeswill's mistress. Just as he'd promised her, the men had not harassed her in any way, but treated her with the respect they though due to her as their leader's woman, knowing full well what Hakeswill would do to any man who touched her.

She'd been careful to do as he said, and he'd likewise been fairly considerate with her so far. In addition to his insistence that she not be intimate with other men, there had not been many other rules, but what ones there were, Hakeswill had been most adamant about. She was to stay within the convent walls and was not to go into Adrados or to the tent encampment, unless he or someone he approved of was with her. Also, she was forbidden to speak to or run errands for the hostages. Though Maria felt sorry for the two women, she knew they weren't mistreated and she was more concerned with assuring her own safety rather than theirs.

Obadiah had used her body every day since they'd been at the convent, sometimes more than once a day, but had been surprisingly gentle with her, if not tender. And, if she was to be completely honest with herself, lying with Obadiah had actually been better for her than it had been with Ernesto, as her husband had often roughly used her directly after beating her. She did not love Obadiah - could not love him - but, at least for now, being with him was bearable.

He'd not expected her to do any work, beyond tending to his personal needs, except for that one time she'd served as translator when he'd spoken with the mayor of Adrados. Maria could not stand being idle, however, so she spent most of her time with Suzette the maid, either helping out in the kitchen or mending clothes.

As she sat with Suzette in the refectory late one morning, having a cup of coffee after having darned some of Obadiah's socks, Maria's looked up in surprise to see him come into the room, with Kelly trailing behind him holding several packages. He'd left earlier that morning for a trip to the village, but she'd not expected him back so soon.

Dumping several of the bags on the table in front of her, he said affably, "Here, missy. Thought you might be needin' a few things." He took a seat next to her, signalling to Suzette to bring him a cup of coffee.

Maria looked at him quizzically for a long moment, then looked inside the bags. Inside, she found several articles of clothing: skirts, shifts, and jackets.

As she turned to look at Obadiah in stunned gratitude, he told her, "I done figured you'd be tired of wearin' the same thing all the time, so's I got you this stuff in town."

"Gracias," she said quietly. "I am grateful, of course." Examining the clothing more closely, she added, "And it all looks like it will fit me, too. But you did not need to spend your money on me. I have more clothing at my home, which isn't far from Adrados."

"I wanted to do it, missy," Obadiah told her. "You've done as I've told you and haven't given me no trouble, so's I thought you deserved something." Taking a sip of the coffee Suzette had brought him, he thought for a moment, then asked, "Would you be wantin' to go to your house to pick up your things, then? Take a little ride and get out of here for a bit, eh?"

"Oh, could we?" she asked, her eyes lighting up at just the thought of it.

"I don't see why not," he told her, twitching. "Do us both some good, I'm thinking. We'll go right after lunch."

He left her to finish her coffee then, while he went up to his rooms with the other things he'd bought in Adrados. Obadiah was making plans to leave Spain and get home to Anna and his children and had bought himself some civilian clothes in Adrados for when he would make his escape. Once they'd completed the ransom transaction for the hostages and he'd split the money with Pot au Feu, he had every intention of buggering off home. It was nearly time.

A little over an hour later, Obadiah and Maria left the convent riding double on his horse. A mounted escort of five men accompanied them. Recent patrols had not seen any sign of hostile activity in the area, but it was always better to take precautions, plus they'd also act as a deterrent, should Maria get it in her head to run away.

As they galloped down the winding, dusty road that led to the humble home Maria had shared with her late husband for the last ten years, Maria told him, "Not too much further now. There will be a path to your right just past that creek."

As they reined in after reaching the small three room house at the end of a lane hidden from the road, Hakeswill helped Maria to dismount, then tied his horse to a tree at the back of the house. Turning to Kelly, he said, "You buggers stay out here and keep a watch. Don't come into the house, unless I calls you."

As Obadiah followed Maria into the darkened house, he waited for her to light the candles before moving further into the front room.

"It is not much, but it is home," Maria said apologetically, spreading her hands in a helpless gesture.

"It ain't nothing to be ashamed of, missy," he said, moving closer to her. "It's much better 'n the place me and my wife lived in when we were first married in India. We lived in an old stable, we did, but we didn't mind, 'cos it was ours."

"Your wife is from India?" Maria asked, curious, as she showed him the rest of the house, which had a kitchen and bedroom, as well as a front room.

"No, she's English, just like me," Obadiah explained. "She was there with her father, see?"

"I understand," she said, now gathering clothing from an old wardrobe in the bedroom she'd shared with Ernesto. "How long have you been married?"

"Twelve years," he said proudly. He pulled Anna's portrait out of his pocket to show to the Spanish woman. "This is my Anna not long 'fore she married me."

"You must miss her very much," she said softly, noting the expression that came over his face as he spoke of her. Maria looked at the portrait of the plain looking Englishwoman, and knew that she was beautiful to this man.

"I do," he said gruffly, stuffing the portrait back into his pocket.

Wanting to put his yearning for Anna out of his mind, at least for a little while, Obadiah moved up close behind Maria, who was still stuffing clothing into a cloth bag and pulled her tight against him, causing her to drop the bag. Leaning over, he brushed her coal black hair from her neck and bent to kiss her there.

"Time for a break, missy," he growled, briefly twitching. "There's a bed right here, just begging to be used."

Maria sighed, not at all wanting to couple with this man in the bed she'd shared with Ernesto, but knew there was nothing for it. So, she did not resist when he pulled her down onto the bed with him and started pulling up her skirts. It would only be for a little while and then they would return to the convent, where she did not mind being with him so much.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Back at the convent, Lady Farthingdale paced impatiently in her cell, in between long periods of time looking out through the grate in the cell door. She'd been locked in this pokey little room for days on end, with no change of clothing, nor access to a bath, and was at her wit's end.

She and Madame Dubreton had been taken out of the cell just a few times since they'd been captured, when Pot au Feu had been in the mood to cook for them, but the capricious Frenchman had not often felt like doing so. Most of the time, a camp woman brought their meals, which were never as good as what Pot au Feu made.

Both women were also brought a bucket of water each daily to wash with, as well as having their chamber pots emptied. Still, it was not enough for the fastidious Isabella, who now felt grubby all the time. She was glad that she'd had a comb with her at least, or by now her hair would have been a hopeless mess of tangles.

And she was so bored! There was nothing inside the cell, save her narrow bed and bedding, a small bedside table and a lantern. She'd never been much of a reader, but right now, Isabella would kill to have a book. The only thing she'd had to look forward to was trading insults with the soldier or camp woman who brought her meals and wash bucket.

As the afternoon progressed, Isabella was wondering why it was taking Augustus so long to respond to the ransom demands. The old bastard probably had no intention of rescuing her, she thought peevishly, no doubt glad to be free of having made the mistake of marrying a whore.

Still fuming a few minutes later, as she heard the rattle at the door that announced the camp woman coming to bring her wash bucket, she jumped up from her bed and rushed to the door. As the Spanish woman wordlessly set the bucket down, Isabella called out to the bored soldier who'd opened the door for the woman.

"Do you know if my husband has responded to the ransom demands yet? It's been over a week - surely it's been long enough to get a response."

"Don't know," the English private said, shrugging. "Wouldn't tell you even if I knew, 'cos Hakeswill would have my head if I did. Not my place to tell you, it ain't."

"I need to see Hakeswill right away," Isabella told him. "The conditions here are intolerable. I've been here for days and I've not been given a change of clothing and…"

"Shut yer gob, Lady Whoever-you-are," the red headed soldier sneered dismissively, locking the door back with a loud click after the camp woman had come out. "Hakeswill's got better things to do than to listen to the likes of you nattering in his ear. Sound like a bloody fishwife, you do. If you knows what's good for you, you'll keep yer mouth shut."

The deserter had moved on before Isabella could come back with a retort. A moment later, Sarah Dubreton came to stand at her grate and said, "Isabella? Are you still there? Can you hear me?

"Yes, I'm here," she replied sighing

"I understand how you feel," the blond woman said carefully. "But I don't think it was such a good idea to complain. Hakeswill is a very unpredictable man and there's no telling what he might do to you if you make him angry. It's probably best to wait as patiently as you can and not attract his attention"

"I understand what you're saying, but I'm about to go mad in here." After a moment, Isabella added spitefully, "At least you have other clothing to wear. I feel like a beggar now, having worn the same gown for so long."

"They won't let me give you anything of mine," Sarah said. "I asked."

"I'm sorry," the dark haired woman apologized. "I know it's not your fault." Sighing loudly, she continued, "I'm wondering why it's taking our husbands so long to come for us. I'm afraid mine just simply isn't coming for me. He's very selfish and doesn't like to inconvenience himself at all."

"I, too, have been concerned," Sarah admitted. "But my husband will come for me. I have faith in his love for me."

"My husband does not love me," Isabella said darkly. "He just wanted a pretty young woman on his arm to make other men envious."

"I cannot imagine he would leave you to these barbarians," Sarah insisted. "Surely, he will come, or send someone for you."

"I hope you're right," the other woman said. "But I am not holding my breath."

"Have faith," Sarah urged fervently. "We will be free and back with our husbands in the end. I just know it."

Later, as she sat alone with her thoughts on the bed, Isabella wasn't so sure. She consoled herself with the fact they'd not been harmed…yet. But she was still determined to complain until she got what she needed to make her imprisonment bearable.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Over the next couple of weeks Lady Farthingdale complained a few more times, despite Sarah's advice. Their husbands still had not come looking for them, so she figured she had nothing to lose.

Eventually, word filtered down to Obadiah about Lady Farthingdale's insistent complaints. The guards assigned to the two hostages had not mentioned it to him, because they knew that it was their duty to handle such petty things on their own. Rather, her behaviour had become common knowledge around the camp.

Hakeswill was curious about it, so he'd asked one of the guards to describe what was happening. One morning after breakfast, he decided to go up to the cells to see what her problem was. He and Pot au Feu had recently determined it was about time to send out the ransom notes, so he wanted to sort out the disgruntled woman before then.

Smithers, who'd been leaning against a wall near the cells, straightened up when he saw Hakeswill emerging from the stairwell and start heading his way.

"Open up that cell for me," he ordered, twitching. "I means to sort out Lady Farthingdale, so's she won't give you buggers no more trouble."

Sarah Dubreton had been listening at the door, slightly away from the grate, so she wouldn't be seen. At hearing Hakeswill outside, she went to sit on her bed to pray, sick at heart that Isabella had not heeded her words.

"Go ahead and lock the door back behind me," Hakeswill ordered after entering the cell. "Stay nearby, so's you can let me out once I'm ready, see?"

Lady Farthingdale, who had been sitting on her bed, gulped visibly when Obadiah Hakeswill came into her cell, but made herself stand up and face him.

"I done heard you've been giving my men a hard time, missy," he said, taking in her nervous demeanour with satisfaction. "I don't see why you're makin' such a fuss, 'cos you have proper shelter, bedding, and food. You thinks you're too good for the likes of us, 'cos your husband is a fancy gentleman and all, do you?" Twitching, he moved closer to her and said, "Well, you ain't. That Froggy's wife ain't complained none, so's I don't see why you are."

Gathering her courage, she swallowed hard, then said, "I haven't had a change of clothing since I've been here, but Madame Dubreton has extra clothing from her carriage. I don't want to create trouble, but I need more clothing, so I can wash what I have on. I would like to have a book or two as well, so I can have something to pass away the hours with. And I would dearly love a real bath."

After a pause, she moved closer to him and gave him a meaningful look, then reached a hand up to stroke his bony cheek. "I would be willing to do…anything…to get what I need to be more comfortable in here. Anything at all."

Isabella had rehearsed this speech several times, when she'd made up her mind to do whatever was necessary to get what she wanted and, now, she managed to do it without visibly shuddering. When she'd been a whore, Isabella had been in a few situations where she'd had to have sex with men she found repulsive, so she knew she could do it now. After all, she'd been doing it ever since being married to Augustus. This was how she'd always got what she wanted from men, and she was very good at it.

"Anything, eh?" Obadiah said, twitching, his voice thick with arousal. "I had you pegged as a whore the moment I laid eyes on you, and I was right." Cackling, he added, "All right, missy, I'll make sure you have all them things after you've done given me what you promised."

He grabbed her cloak, which was lying on the bed, and covered the grate with it. Turning back to Isabella, he told her, "Strip for me first, missy. I wants you to give me what you give your best customers, to make it worth my while, see?"

Isabella did not reply, but began to slowly undo her bodice.


	48. Ransom Demands

Twenty minutes later, Obadiah Hakeswill left Lady Farthingdale's cell with a satisfied expression on his face. He'd gotten to have her, after all - and with her begging him to do her, too.

"Get a couple of them lazy sods not doing nothing to bring up a bathtub and enough buckets of hot water to fill it for Lady Farthingdale," he ordered the guard with just the hint of a sly grin on his face. "Then get some of them camp women to get her two or three clean outfits to wear, so's she can wash what she's got on."

Smithers smirked as he watched Hakeswill swagger to the stairwell, hearing him cackle as he went down the stairs, well aware of what had happened between the two inside the cell. Laughing himself as he went to carry out Hakeswill's orders, he thought of how the complaining Lady Farthingdale got much more than she bargained for in order to get her precious comforts of home.

After Hakeswill and the guard had left, Sarah Dubreton got up from her cot and went to the grate. She'd heard everything that had just happened with Isabella and Hakeswill and was saddened by what the young woman had done just to get a few trifles.

"Isabella, are you all right?" Sarah called out softly, knowing that the other woman was standing by her own door.

"I'm fine!" Isabella snapped, a bit too sharply.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sarah said gently. "I'm willing to listen."

"No, I'd really rather not," the other woman said, sighing heavily. This privileged woman could not even begin to understand why she chose to do what she did. "I did what I had to do to get what I wanted and that's all there is to it. There's nothing to talk about."

"All right, then," Sarah said, somewhat hurt by Isabella's abrupt manner. "Just call out if you change your mind, though."

Lady Farthingdale did not reply, but continued to look out the grate to watch for the promised bathtub. She could not wait to sink into the hot water and wash off all the weeks of grime, including her encounter with Hakeswill. With any luck, someone would also bring her some clean clothes, so she'd not have to put the same grubby gown back on

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After leaving Isabella Farthingdale, Obadiah headed straight for the kitchen, where he knew Pot au Feu was working on lunch. He'd realized it was time to send the ransom notes out for the two hostages and that he and the Frenchman needed to get started on it right away. Even though he'd thoroughly enjoyed getting under the high-class whore's skirts, he also knew that the things he'd given her in exchange for it would not stop her complaining. She would soon become more trouble than she was worth to them, so Obadiah wanted to get what money he could out of her and the Froggy's wife while the getting was good. He was eager to get on with it, so he could finally return to his family

He found the Frenchman in the middle of meal preparation as he sauntered into the kitchen a few moments later. Suzette, along with several other assistants were also busy helping to prepare the noon meal.

Going right up to Pot au Feu who was standing over a steaming pot, he said urgently, "I needs to talk to you right away, I do."

"I'm in the middle of cooking, Obadiah," Pot au Feu said patiently. "Can't it wait until after we eat?"

"'Course it can," Hakeswill said indignantly, rolling his eyes as he twitched. "But we'll talk about it right after."

Shortly after lunch, Pot au Feu remained with Hakeswill at the refectory table, as his assistants dealt with the cleanup in the kitchen. A fine bottle of brandy stood open on the table between them, with each man pouring himself some as the women cleared the dishes away.

"It's time to send off the ransom demands for them two upstairs," Obadiah said flatly, as soon as he and the Frenchman were alone.

"Oh?" Pot au Feu inquired. "You are probably right, but I'm curious why you suddenly decided this was so. You've not said a word about it since we've been at the convent."

"I suppose you've heard about Lady Farthingdale complaining 'bout everything, eh?" Hakeswill asked.

"Lady Farthingdale is not happy with her accommodations, so I've heard," the other man confirmed, shrugging.

"She's been driving the men who tends her 'round the bend, she has," Obadiah said. "This morning, I went up there to see what her problem was and to sort her out right proper. We don't need no malcontents stirring up trouble, see? We lets her keep on and 'fore you knows it, the other one will be nattering away, too."

"When you say you 'sorted her out', you don't mean you…," Pot au Feu began.

"Woman offered it to me, she did," Obadiah quickly asserted, twitching briefly. "Said she'd do _anything_ for a bath and some clean clothes." After a healthy sip of the brandy, he continued, "Ain't no man going to turn down an offer like that. Only a fool would pass up an easy opportunity and I ain't no fool."

"What am I going to do with you, Obadiah?" the Frenchman said in mock exasperation "Don't you remember we agreed to leave the two women alone until we got the gold for them? Her husband might not want her back as used goods."

"I got news for you, _mon ami_," Hakeswill said confidently. "It won't make no difference, 'cos that one is already used goods. Well used. Seems that Lord Farthingdale done married him a high-class whore, he did. She admitted it to me."

"Ah, I see," Pot au Feu acknowledged, smiling. "There is no fool like an old fool, eh?"

"Much as I liked doing her, she ain't going to stop complaining 'cos I let her have a bath and clean clothes," Hakeswill predicted. "She'll find something else to complain about right quick, so she's beginning to be more trouble to us than she's worth. And even though the other one ain't complained yet, she might start after seeing what Lady Farthingdale is doing. I figure we needs to go ahead and get our money for them and be done with it."

"You're quite right," Pot au Feu agreed. "It would be best if we proceeded now. I, too, am ready to conclude our business with them."

"I figure I'll write the ransom note to Lord Farthingdale and you can write the one to the other one's husband, 'cos I can't write none of that Froggy talk," Hakeswill decided. "Then we takes their wedding rings to send as proof that we got 'em. We'll get a couple of them priests from the church to take the notes, 'cos that will make sure that they don't just bugger off with the gold rings, see?"

"That makes sense," Pot au Feu agreed. "And we couldn't send any of our men, because they would no doubt be arrested as deserters or taken as enemy prisoners if we did."

"I got me some writing supplies up in my room," Hakeswill said. "I'll go and get 'em, so's we can get started."

"I have a pen and ink, along with some paper in the kitchen," the Frenchman reported. "I'll go get them while you get your things."

"I got a good idea," Obadiah said, a short while later after they'd both returned to the refectory to begin writing the notes. "Why don't we tell both the English and French to send their men with the money at the same time, but don't let them know that there's another hostage or that enemy soldiers will be coming at the same time to get their hostage?"

"I like how you think, Obadiah," Pot au Feu chuckled. "So devious. And a bit of fun for us, yes?"

"I figures that each will think the other is a deserter and they'll start fighting each other," Hakeswill said, cackling gleefully. "And we can be watchin' them tear each other apart from up here. If we're lucky, they can kill each other and we can just take the gold." A moment later, after twitching, he added, "I intend to specify that they got to send Richard Sharpe to bring the ransom money."

"I have heard of him," Pot au Feu mentioned. "He took one of our Eagles at Talavera."

"Sharpie and I go a long ways back," Obadiah continued. "I'm the one what recruited him into the army in the first place, see? But he's done forgot where he came from and the fact that I'm the one who taught him all about bein' a soldier. He's done tried to kill me several times and he's the reason I had to desert the army. So's I'm hopin' your man will be the one to kill him, if I don't get the chance to do it myself."

"Ahhh, I see," Pot au Feu said. "A chance to kill two birds with one stone, yes?"

"That's right," Hakeswill replied, twitching briefly. "So, I'm thinking we don't let no more than two of 'em in to deliver the gold. And we should say that whoever else is with them can't come any further than the creek near that sheep pasture. It'll be easy for us to monitor from the watchtower if they violates that order."

"That sounds about right," the Frenchman agreed. "I truly look forward to seeing the confrontation."

After they finished writing the ransom notes a few minutes later, Pot au Feu said, "I'd best go with you to get the rings from the ladies upstairs. Can't be having you using up Lady Farthingdale before her husband comes to get her. You need to focus your attention on Maria." After a pause, he added, "Maria doesn't seem to mind it very much."

"I'm not going to do her again." Obadiah rolled his eyes. "Don't need to; she scratched my itch right proper. And you're right about Maria; me and her get along good, we do. It ain't the same as being with my sweet Anna, but she does help me from missing her so much."

"Well, let us pay a visit to the ladies once again, then, and get their rings,' the Frenchman said. "We can send out the couriers this very afternoon."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

It had taken nearly a half hour for the men bearing the large tub and the water carriers to appear at Isabella Farthingdale's cell door.

"Finally!" she said to herself as Smithers opened the door to let the men set up the bath for her.

"Your quim made out of gold, is it?" the red haired soldier said, chuckling at his own wit, as he stood by the open door. "It must have been the best ride Hakeswill ever had to get him to go to all this trouble."

"It was," she said, her expression deadpan as she rolled her eyes at the scruffy deserter. "But you'll never know. Hakeswill would skin you alive if you even tried."

"Probably got the pox, you do," he mumbled darkly, backing down.

Before she could reply, a couple of the camp women appeared beside Smithers, bearing some articles of clothing for Isabella, along with a towel and some soap for the bath. None of it was fashionable, but all of it was clean, so she was grateful. "_Gracias_," she murmured, smiling at the two women in turn. They nodded briefly before scurrying out again, having heard the gossip of how she'd earned these privileges.

After everyone had left, Isabella draped her cloak over the grate, as Hakeswill had done earlier, before quickly stripping off her grimy gown, stays and shift. "Ahh," she sighed in delight, as she lowered herself into the hot steaming water. As she began rubbing the soap all over herself, she couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed a bath as much as she was this one. Once her body was clean again, she thoroughly washed her hair until it was squeaky clean, now no longer greasy.

Reluctantly stepping out of the bath a few minutes later, she towelled herself dry, then dressed herself in fresh, clean clothing. Moving to the grate, she called softly to Sarah, "Would you like to take a bath, Sarah. Maybe the guard will bring you over here so you can."

There was a long pause before the other woman answered. Sarah did not wish to insult Isabella, but there was no way she was going to bathe in water the other woman had just used, especially right after having sex with Hakeswill. The very thought of it made her shudder. Better to bear her own dirt awhile longer than to do this.

"Thank you for thinking of me, but I must decline," Sarah said carefully. "I do not think the guard would let me in your cell, in any instance. I'm doing fine with the water they bring me each day."

Somewhat miffed, but determined not to show it, Isabella said, "Suit yourself. I just thought I'd ask you before I washed my dirty clothes in it." She threw her old clothes into the water to let them soak, while she sat on the side of her bed to comb out her hair. Before long, she was sleepy, lulled by the warm bath and by the soothing activity of combing her hair. As soon as she was done, she stretched out on the bed for a little nap.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As Obadiah and Pot au Feu approached the hostages' cells, Isabella was still napping, but Sarah was awake and looking out her grated window as they walked up. She narrowed her eyes at the repulsive Hakeswill, disgusted with how he took advantage of Isabella that day. However, she did not speak, not wanting to bring the same sort of unwanted attention upon herself as well.

Walking up between the two cells, so both women could hear him, Pot au Feu calmly said, "Ladies, we need both your wedding rings."

Sarah quickly slipped hers off, then reluctantly handed it through the grate to Pot au Feu. She was confused, however, wondering why they waited so long to demand them, after several weeks of captivity.

Lady Farthingdale, however, did not appear at the window, still unaware of the two men's presence.

After a long moment, Obadiah went to look through the window and saw her still asleep on the bed. "Get up, you lazy bint," he bawled impatiently. "I needs you at the window, see?"

Startled, Isabella opened her eyes to see Hakeswill glaring through the grate at her, "What is it now," she muttered under her breath as she got up and stumbled to the door.

"Give me your wedding ring, missy," Hakeswill said brusquely. "Hand it over now."

"Why now, after all these weeks?" she asked, voicing the question Sarah did not dare to.

"Never you mind, missy," Obadiah said, snatching the band from her as she passed it through the window. "Just go back to your beauty sleep and forget about what we wants it for."

Two hours later, the two priests were on the way with the two ransom demands. All the former sergeants had to do now was to wait for the response.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Later that evening, Obadiah went back to his rooms to write a letter to Anna. He'd got a new one from her that morning and wanted to make sure he sent a reply before the time came for the ransom exchange.

As he headed up the stairs, he met Maria on the landing. "Waitin' for me, were you?" he asked, his tone genial.

"It will be a cold night tonight," she said hesitantly. "I thought you might want to warm me up a bit."

Giving her an indulgent smile, he took her hand, and they continued up the stairs together. "That I could, missy. Come on, then."

After they entered the cold rooms a moment later, Maria shivered, so Obadiah grabbed a blanket from his bed, then wrapped it securely around her. Pointing to a chair by the fireplace, he told her, "Go sit in the chair and I'll get the fire going. You'll be warm 'fore you knows it."

He quickly got the fire built, then went to the desk to begin the letter. Seating himself in front of it, he pulled Anna's letter from his pocket to re-read before started to write, all thoughts of the woman with him forgotten as he gazed upon his wife's familiar handwriting.

_Dearest Obadiah,_

_We are all well here and I hope this letter finds you in similar good health. Our little Catherine is growing like a weed and has even begun to sleep through the night; at least a few times during the week. She has your strong constitution, and with the few wisps of hair she has, it appears the colour will be the same as your side whiskers._

_I long so for you to come home to see her and to watch you hold her in your arms. And to hold me in your arms as well. I miss you so keenly that my heart aches so badly at times that I can scarcely bear it. Since you have been away, I've felt as if a part of me is gone, never to be restored until I can hold you close once again._

_It won't be all that long until Christmas, and you'll have been gone from my side for nearly an entire year. Please, my love, make haste to return home so our dear family can be complete once more._

_Your loving Anna_

Obadiah sat for a long moment letting Anna's words sink into him before picking up his pen. Finally, he picked it up, then dipped it in ink and began writing, quickly filling the paper with his untidy scrawl.

…_Good news, my sweet love. I hopes to be on a ship heading home right around the new year or so. I'm nearly done with my business here in Spain and I hopes to be back in your arms and your bed before spring comes. We'll have us a late Christmas then, mark my words…_

Just as he was finishing up the letter, Maria called to him softly from the bed. "Come to bed Obadiah. I'm warmer now, but I still need you to completely warm me up."

Putting the pen down, he replied. "Coming, missy. Don't start without me."


	49. Bait and Switch

A week and a half after the ransom notes had been sent out, Obadiah Hakeswill rose early to prepare for the day, as it was the date they'd specified for the ransom demands to be met. Richard Sharpe would be coming that day and Obadiah looked forward to making his sworn enemy squirm.

"I'm going to go out to the watchtower and sit with Kelly for awhile," Hakeswill told Pot au Feu as they finished eating breakfast. "See if Sharpie's done got here yet."

"I will send someone to look from the other side down the eastern road to see if Madame Dubreton's people have arrived as well," the Frenchman said. "Should be quite the show for us once they encounter one another." He chuckled heartily at the thought of it.

"Have the men line up along the cliff, so's Sharpie can see 'em," Hakeswill continued. "Put the fear of God into 'im, it will."

"Good idea," Pot au Feu agreed. "He will think twice about acting rashly if he sees our might."

Rising from the table, Obadiah turned to Maria, who was still seated at the table. "You needs to stay out of sight once them buggers gets here," he told her, his voice gentle. "Safer for you that way, it is. Don't want you to chance getting hurt none, missy."

She smiled briefly at his concern for her. "Suzette and I will sit in my room and do a bit of mending," she promised. "We'll be as quiet as mice."

"Good," he said absently, patting her on the shoulder encouragingly, before he headed out to join Kelly at the watchtower.

Fifteen minutes later, Hakeswill had joined Kelly, who was looking out over the valley and the road that approached from the south.

"Any sign of the bastards yet?" Hakeswill growled as he moved up to stand by the younger man.

"Not yet, but I did see a dust cloud rising on the other side of that hill just 'fore you got here," Kelly said, indicating a low hill covered with scrubby bushes on the far side of the road. "I dare say that means they'll be here shortly."

"Give me that spyglass," Hakeswill ordered, taking it from the private. As he held it up to his eye, he immediately saw the dust cloud Kelly was talking about. A moment later, the cause of the dust began to show as it came around the bend in the road and cleared the hill. Obadiah cackled in satisfaction as he saw Richard Sharpe and Patrick Harper leading the small group. He also noted Teresa Moreno following her husband on horseback, which was an added bonus. Hakeswill continued to watch until he saw them stop where they'd placed the black flag that marked the border of his territory.

"Welcome to my palace, Sharpie," Obadiah rasped, cackling again, as he pushed the spyglass shut and handed it back to Kelly.

"Keep watchin' 'em and make sure that only two comes past the flag," he told Kelly. "When you're sure the two are on the way in, come back and report. I'm going to go back now and have everyone get into proper position to greet our guests."

Hurrying back to the convent, he found Pot au Feu waiting for him, just inside the entrance. "They're coming in from the south road," he reported. "We needs to get everyone in position."

"As is the French delegation from the other road," Pot au Feu told him. "They each will come inside from different entrances; yours in the front and ours from the back."

"Can't wait to see 'em run into each other," Hakeswill cackled, twitching, as Pot au Feu agreed with a conspiratorial grin.

"Let us get enough men upstairs to completely cover the courtyard from above," Pot au Feu said. "Of course, they'll be crouching down when our guests arrive downstairs ,but they will be ready to present a show of force if necessary."

"We'll have us some downstairs, too, hidin' in rooms 'til we needs them," Hakeswill added. "Sharpie will be making a big mistake if he tries to attack us when we go to take the money off him."

Within ten minutes everyone was ready and in position. Taking the keys to the cells, Hakeswill told the Frenchman, "I'm going to let the ladies out, so's they can see the fun and so's we'll be able to move them downstairs quickly when it comes time to show them off."

As he opened the cell doors, he warned them, "If you makes a sound, I'll blow your filthy heads off, mark my words. You wants to live, you keeps your mouths shut, eh?"

Both women nodded as they stepped out of their cells, but did not speak.

Within minutes, they heard the sound of the front entrance door being kicked in. After a moment, Richard Sharpe and Patrick Harper entered the courtyard, looking all around carefully. A covered supply wagon sat in the courtyard, blocking the view of the main stairway and the hallway that led to the back entrance, so the two men proceeded carefully. At the same time Colonel Michel Dubreton and his sergeant, Bigeard approached from the other direction.

Obadiah leaned up against a pillar, looking into the courtyard with Pot au Feu at his side. He glanced at the women for a moment, then drawled, "Want to see a bit of fun ladies?" A moment later as Sharpe looked briefly in their direction, he hissed, "Get down!"

As the group crouched down, with some peering carefully over the waist high walls that overlooked the courtyard, the two English soldiers met the two Frenchmen. To Hakeswill's delight, the four men reacted in predictable fashion and began to fight each other, each believing the other two men were the deserters they'd come to meet.

Insults were loudly exchanged as the four men fought all over the courtyard, with swords loudly clanging. Obadiah chortled with glee as he watched, the sound music to his ears.

"I'm kind of hoping your man don't kill Sharpie, 'cos I wants to do it myself," Hakeswill confided to Pot au Feu.

"I know how you feel, my friend" the Frenchman said in a sympathetic tone. "But you can't kill him until we get more gold out of him." Chuckling, he added, "_Then_ you can kill him."

"Right you are," Hakeswill agreed, twitching.

Sharpe and his French opposite number continued to fight, eventually moving out of sight of the concealed observers upstairs. After a few minutes, it suddenly went quiet, the sounds of clanging swordplay fading away.

After a long moment, Sharpe came out from cover, followed by the Frenchman and the two sergeants.

"Game's over!" Sharpe bawled, looking up. "Want your gold?"

Motioning to a couple of privates standing nearby, Hakeswill ordered, "Bring the ladies downstairs and wait with them where I done told you to earlier. I shouldn't be too long." He headed to the stairs, followed by the two soldiers and the hostages, along with Pot au Feu and a few other soldiers.

Once downstairs, Hakeswill and Pot au Feu crept silently next to the covered wagon, where the two Englishmen and two Frenchmen could not see them.

"Let me go out first by myself," Hakeswill whispered to Pot au Feu. Looking at Kelly and Smithers, he added, "You two be ready to jump out if I needs you."

A moment later, the scrawny ex-sergeant sauntered around from the corner of the wagon, smirking at an irate Richard Sharpe, who betrayed no surprise at seeing Obadiah Hakeswill decked out in a colonel's uniform.

"So glad you could make it, Sharpie," Obadiah drawled, twitching. He strolled over to the group as Sharpe narrowed his eyes at him, while explaining to Dubreton who Hakeswill was and why he hated him.

Moving closer, getting right in Sharpe's face, he demanded, "How's your Spanish whore, Sharpie. Maybe I'll get another chance to do her this time, eh?"

Patrick Harper, who had been so far glaring daggers at his former fellow sergeant, couldn't stand listening to Hakeswill any longer. Quick as a flash, he grabbed Hakeswill and put his rifle under the smaller man's neck and pulled up hard, trying to choke him. Obadiah reached up, trying to pull the rifle away, but Harper was too strong for him.

Pot au Feu appeared, followed by several soldiers pointing rifles, and by men appearing out of doorways in the courtyard, and from the balconies above.

"Let him go," Sharpe said reluctantly. When Harper paid him no attention, Sharpe kicked the sergeant and said more forcefully, "I said, let him go!"

As Hakeswill walked back to Pot au Feu after Harper released him, still making choking sounds, the Frenchman stepped forward with insincere bonhomie, "Let us not fight. Let us eat." He then indicated a table set up in the courtyard as women brought out fresh food ingredients from the kitchen.

Obadiah stole sly glances at Sharpe as the Frenchman discussed the recipe he planned to make, grinning at his nemesis as Sharpe scowled at him.

After a few moments, bored with the cooking talk, he said, "Enough with all the Froggy talk. You wants the women? Then give me the gold."

Sharpe and Dubreton both hurled the leather bags holding the gold coins at Hakeswill, causing him to stagger slightly from the weight.

Now ready to get on with it, Hakeswill said, "Want to see the women, Sharpie? Follow me."

He led the group to a room just off the courtyard, which had apparently been used as a chapel at one time. Resting one leg on the raised dais, he bellowed, "Bring out the women!

A French deserter, leading Sarah Dubreton, appeared first. She looked up at her husband, scarcely able to conceal the joy she felt at seeing him, but otherwise did not betray that she'd ever seen this man before in her life. Likewise, Dubreton introduced himself using a false name, figuring Hakeswill would increase the ransom if he knew they were husband and wife.

Sharpe, likewise, recognized Isabella Farthingdale, as he'd once been her lover when she'd still been a whore. Following the Dubretons' lead, neither of them betrayed their previous acquaintance in front of Hakeswill.

"I'm Captain Sharpe," he said gently. "I've come to take you home, milady."

"Oh, no, Sharpie," Hakeswill said gleefully, standing close, looking over Lady Farthingdale's shoulder. "We've changed our minds. We want double the amount."

"We paid you!" Sharpe insisted indignantly

"That only buys the ladies' virtue, but only for five days," Hakeswill explained. "You come back here, same time, same place, with double the amount of gold, Sharpie."

"And if we come back with the gold, how do we know you'll release them then?" Sharpe demanded.

"You'll just have to take my word for it," Hakeswill said dismissively, twitching slightly.

Moving closer to leer down at Isabella's cleavage, Obadiah said, with obvious relish, "And if you're even just one minute late, we'll bust 'em!" Moving to walk toward Sarah, he continued in a casual tone, "Pass 'em around to all the boys…" Putting his face close to Sarah's, he concluded "And a good busting it will be, too."

"Show him your goodies, milady," Obadiah told Sarah, his tone now gentle.

When she hesitated in obvious humiliation, Hakeswill's voice became rough once more. "Strip her!" he ordered Kelly.

"No!" Isabella called out. "If you want to shame someone, shame me." Having been a whore for so long, this was something she could easily do without embarrassment, but knew it would be unbearable humiliation for the other woman.

Moving back over to stand behind Isabella's shoulder once more, Obadiah told her, "Show Sharpie what you've got, milady." As she began to comply, he purred, "Strip your bodice, missy."

Isabella unbuttoned the bib top of her gown, then went to work on the laces of her stays, as Obadiah watched avidly, remembering how it had been when he'd had her, as she bared her breasts to Richard Sharpe. Out of respect, he and Harper, along with the two Frenchmen looked away, leaving Hakeswill as the only one enjoying the sight of them.

Hakeswill was having none of Sharpe's false modesty, however. He stuck his swagger stick under Sharpe's chin, turning it up to force him to look. "Eyes up, Sharpie," he warned. "Or else I'll flog her in the courtyard."

"My compliments, ma'am,' Sharpe said, almost sheepishly as he looked, though knowing that Isabella was not embarrassed in the slightest. As he reached up to help her re-tie her stays, he asked, "Shall I give your regards to your husband? Any messages?"

"No messages," she replied firmly. She rather doubted that Augustus would care at all about anything she might have to say.

"That's it, Sharpie," Hakeswill said, picking up on the mutual attraction between the two. "On your way, boy."

Turning back to the two privates waiting, he bawled, "Take 'em away!"

He followed the four men out of the chapel to make sure they left. Obadiah cackled scornfully after hearing Sharpe's naïve warning to his men about what would happen to them if they didn't return to their units, knowing there was little chance of that happening.

"That went well," Pot au Feu remarked later as Obadiah joined him in the kitchen, where he'd begun the next meal. "Each of us is now five hundred guineas richer and will soon be another thousand richer."

"That's if they decides to pay us again," Hakeswill pointed out sourly. "Knowing Sharpie, he'll want to attack, instead. "Course it depends on whether he can make Old Nosey see things his way."

"I think we should have a big party for Christmas to go with the meal I have planned," Pot au Feu said, changing the subject. "The men have done so well that I think they deserve it."

"Right you are," Hakeswill readily agreed. "We'll have the party on Christmas Eve, so's we can sleep it off on Christmas Day, then get up for your big Christmas dinner. Then we'll be rested for them bastards to come back on the 26th."

"Sounds like a fine plan, Obadiah," Pot au Feu readily agreed. "I'll send the men out to Adrados to make sure we have enough for everyone to get blissfully drunk."

As he left the kitchen a few minutes later to go upstairs to check on Maria, Obadiah thought to himself that all of this was just too easy. He knew how Sharpe thought and knew that the odds of him pulling a sneak attack to rescue the hostages were quite high. He realized that if this happened, he'd likely not have the time to gather his loot if he needed to run to avoid capture. After a moment's thought, he came up with the perfect solution. He had to find a place to hide his loot, as he'd done when in Badajoz. But where?

Thinking again, he came up with the answer within a moment. Maria's house. There was a dirt cellar under her house, which would be the perfect place to hide his loot. He'd go early the next morning and stash most of it there, along with some civilian clothing and a haversack. The house was in the same direction he'd have to go to start on his way to the Portuguese coast, so he'd be able to pick up his things if he had to run for his life from the convent. He also had a smaller amount of gold sewn into the hems and seams of his colonel's uniform and in his boots, so he'd have money either way. It always paid to be prepared.'

He found Maria a couple of minutes later, standing alone as she leaned over the balcony looking down into the courtyard.

"Show's over," he said, joining her in looking down at the soldiers below. "I got what I wanted, kept the two hostages, then ran them bleedin' bastards off to go bring back more gold."

"I peeked out and saw those men leaving," Maria admitted. "They do not look like the type of men who will simply accept that. My guess is that they will return with more men and just take those women back. They will fight to get them back."

"You may be right, missy," Obadiah admitted, rubbing her back as he moved closer. "But I got me a plan to get out of here quick if it comes to that and things turn against us."

"I'm a bit frightened," she told him.

"No need for you to be if you stays out of the way," he told her. "I don't expect they'd hurt any women."

"I hope you're right," she said dubiously.

Taking her arm, he said, "Why don't you and I have us a bit of a lie-down before dinner, eh? I just came from the kitchen and it'll be awhile 'fore Pot au Feu has everything ready.

As Obadiah and Maria disappeared into his rooms, Sarah and Isabella talked through their cell windows.

"It was so good to see my husband again," Sarah said, sighing. "It was all I could do to keep from throwing myself into his arms."

"That was a smart thing to pretend not to know one another," Isabella said. "For all the good it did, that is."

"You did the same with Captain Sharpe," Sarah observed astutely.

"How did you know I knew him?" Isabella asked. "Was I that obvious?"

"Perhaps not to a man," Sarah speculated. "But I noticed the reaction you both had to one another immediately. Let us pray that Hakeswill did not notice."

"He sensed something between us," Isabella admitted. "But he probably just dismissed it as simply mutual attraction. Captain Sharpe is quite handsome, you know."

"I noticed." After a pause, Sarah said, "I want to thank you for what you did down there. I would have been absolutely mortified to expose myself in such a manner in front of so many men."

"Think nothing of it," Isabella said, shrugging. "It's not something I've not done before. Hakeswill was quite right when he called me a whore - that's how I know Captain Sharpe. It's what I did before marrying Lord Farthingdale." A moment later, she added, "And I was quite glad it was Richard who came rather than Augustus. I'm confident now that we'll be rescued. Richard will not leave us here to rot, I assure you."

"Nor will Michel," Sarah put in quietly. "We will be home before the new year. I just know it."


	50. Sharpe's Return

Just before dawn the next morning, without a word to anyone, Hakeswill quietly left the convent with the lion's share of his loot, heading to Maria's house to bury it in her cellar. He didn't see a soul as he slipped down the back stairs to the exit near the stable and was able to saddle a horse and leave without being observed. After arriving at Maria's house, he quickly hid the items in the cellar, burying the oil-cloth wrapped bundle in the dirt floor, then covering it with a large box to mark the spot and to hide the evidence of his digging.

Once that was done, he headed directly back to the convent for breakfast. After he'd put the horse back in the stable, he met Maria as he emerged from the stable near the outhouses.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "I was wondering where you'd gone. It's almost time for breakfast."

"I was feelin' a bit restless, so's I decided to take my horse out and exercise him a bit," Obadiah lied. "Did us both a lot of good, 'cos I'm feeling better now."'

"I'm surprised you did not come looking for me, then," Maria observed dryly. "That is what you usually do when you are feeling restless."

"Not that kind of restless, I wasn't, missy," Obadiah replied cryptically. "Come on, then. Let's go to breakfast, 'cos I got me a good appetite now."

Maria suspected he'd been up to something more than that, but she knew better than to press him about it, so she let the matter drop.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later that same day, shortly before sunset, Obadiah was just about to leave his rooms through the back corridor, when he noticed Pot au Feu exit his own quarters through the same passageway, carrying a large bundle. Hakeswill stepped back into the shadows as the Frenchman looked all around nervously before proceeding down the hall, as soundlessly as he could, directly to the back exit.

Realizing that his partner in crime did not wish to be observed, Hakeswill's interest was immediately piqued. He followed Pot au Feu, creeping carefully behind him. The Frenchman went outside, using the same exit Obadiah had early that morning when he'd gone to Maria's house.

But the other man did not head to the stable, as Hakeswill had expected. Instead, the squat Frenchman went to an overgrown area behind the stable, where Hakeswill knew there was an old, dry well. A moment after he disappeared into the brush, Obadiah quickly dashed behind a large bush next to the stable, so he could better see what was going on.

As Hakeswill silently watched, Pot au Feu looked all around him again, then placed his bundle inside the well's bucket, then carefully lowered it to the bottom. After looking down inside to make sure it was secure, he strode out of the brush, no longer making any attempts to be furtive.

Hakeswill waited until Pot au Feu was gone before leaving his hiding place. He went directly to the well, then hauled the bucket back up the top so he could see what was in the bundle. As he expected, it contained the Frenchman's loot. He carefully lowered it back to the bottom, filing away this knowledge for future reference. If Pot au Feu was killed or captured when Sharpie came back to fight them, Obadiah intended to take it for himself before buggering off home. There wasn't any point in leaving it for the likes of Richard Sharpe. He cackled to himself gleefully in anticipation as he headed to the refectory for a cup of coffee.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

On Christmas Eve, the men and the camp followers were in fine spirits, ready for a night of drunken revelry and debauchery. Large quantities of alcohol had been brought in and Pot au Feu had set up an outdoor grill to cook a cow that had been taken from the village. As the delicious smell began to permeate the courtyard and the liquor flowed freely, the noise level rose correspondingly. Rowdy men sung, while women squealed, and all laughed.

As the party got into full swing, Obadiah went upstairs to check on the hostages, both of whom were standing by their window grates trying to have a conversation as he walked up.

Cackling as he walked up to Isabella, he told her, "Don't you worry, Lady Farthingdale. You'll get plenty of time to show your charms to the men, just as you showed them to me. Better than wastin' it all on that old man who don't do nothing but shoot blanks, eh?"

Isabella did not say anything; her reply was to rear back and to spit at him with all the force she could muster.

"Ugh," Obadiah exclaimed. "Can't imagine how a gutter whore like you fooled that old fop Farthingdale into thinking you was a lady. 'Course the old fool no doubt had better things on his mind when he met the likes of you, eh?"

Moving between the two cells, Obadiah bellowed down to the men below, "You want another goose to pluck, boys? Soon as Sharpie gets back and we slick his gizzards, that is."

Now standing in front of Sarah's cell, he tapped loudly on the grating with his swagger stick. "Take you downstairs, so's you can enjoy the dance, eh, missy?" He leered at her, twitching briefly.

"Murderer!" she flung back at him, about at the end of her rope.

Obadiah cackled in amusement before moving off to head back downstairs. Halfway down, he met Maria on the steps, looking pale.

"What's the matter, missy?" he asked. "You don't look so good."

"I have a headache," she explained. "And I'm sick to my stomach."

"You wants me to bring the doctor up from the village to look at you, eh?" he asked.

"No, no, it is not that bad," she assured him. "I should be all right if I can just go and lie down for awhile."

"'Course, missy, go right ahead," he told her. "Shut your door tight, so's the sound of the boys havin' fun don't disturb you so much."

"I will," she said. "I will be fine. You go on and have a good time."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Several hours later, Maria awakened, feeling much better. As she sat up in bed rubbing her eyes, she heard several unfamiliar voices outside, sounding as if they originated near the hostages' cells.

Immediately feeling apprehensive, she went to her door and eased it open a crack. She gasped when she saw the same two green jacketed English soldiers Obadiah had spoken with a few days ago, along with at least half a dozen more dressed just like them

"_Obadiah was right!_" she thought to herself, as she watched the men unlock both cells. He'd told her that Sharpe would make a sneak attack, and so he was. She knew she needed to get downstairs to warn Obadiah, but she didn't dare come out into the open, afraid of what these men might do to her if they knew of her relationship with him.

As she continued to spy on Sharpe and his men, she could hear the revelry still going on unabated downstairs, so she knew these men had sneaked up here undetected. It wasn't any wonder, with all the noise and drunkenness.

These men didn't look as if they planned to attack right away; they were obviously waiting to do so, for whatever reasons Maria did not know. The hostages stayed in their cells for now, though they were unlocked.

When she overheard Sharpe tell his men to get some kip until Frederickson's men got there at six, she knew she had a bit of time. The men all obligingly found places to lie down, but one remained standing on guard duty, walking back and forth along the wall where the cells were located, catty-corner from the wall that contained her room and Obadiah's quarters.

Maria continued to monitor the men, waiting for the ones lying down to fall asleep and to watch the one guarding to pick up his pattern, so she could make a dash for the far stairway on the opposite side.

A moment later she watched Richard Sharpe go into Isabella's cell, then blow out the light. Before long, she heard the unmistakeable sounds of them being intimate. Obadiah had told her that Lady Farthingdale had been a high class whore before her marriage, so she wasn't completely surprised by this. Better yet, she knew that he would be sufficiently occupied for the time being, so as not to pose a threat to her escape.

For now, she focused her attention on the guard. Finally, when it was nearly dawn, she saw an opportunity, so she quickly left her room, scuttling down in a half crouch to the stairway on the opposite end from the guard. Once inside the stairwell, she leaned against the wall to catch her breath, thankful to get away undetected.

A moment later, she crept down the stairs, pausing at the bottom to scan the courtyard for Obadiah. By this time, quite a few of the men and their women had passed out on the ground, sleeping off the effects of their revelry. There were a few people still awake, however, with Obadiah among them, sitting at a table, drinking coffee to sober himself up. Pot au Feu was nowhere to be seen, but Maria imagined that he would be in the kitchen by now, starting preparations for the planned Christmas feast.

"Obadiah!" she hissed as she joined him at the table. "Trouble! That Sharpie you spoke of to me - he is here with more men!"

"Where?" Obadiah was alert now.

"He is upstairs, in bed with Lady Farthingdale," she explained, then gave him the rest of the details of what she'd heard and witnessed.

"That figures," Obadiah said, twitching. "I could tell them two wanted each other when he was here before." He grabbed her hand as he jumped up from the table. Pointing toward the kitchen, he said, "Go in there and tell Pot au Feu what's going on. Stay in there with the kitchen women, 'cos you'll be safe in there Don't come out 'til the battle is over, see?"

"I understand," she said, shivering with fright. "But where are you going?"

"I'll be back in a bit," he told her. "Have to go to the stable to take care of something first, see? Pot au Feu will make sure you're safe 'til I get back."

"Be careful," she said.

"I always am," he said. "At least Sharpie won't get the drop on me 'cos I already know he's here, thanks to you."

Entering the stable a few moments later, Obadiah went to his horse and quickly saddled him, then put the animal back into his stall. After quickly pouring some feed for him into a trough, Obadiah carefully made his way back inside, stopping to get a couple of pistols from the room they'd designated as a storeroom for extra weapons. He'd not be able to get upstairs to his rooms where his own weapons were kept, so these would have to do.

As Hakeswill neared the courtyard again, he saw he was too late to do any planning with Pot au Feu. The attack had already begun, with Sharpie's men firing down into the courtyard from above and throwing some kind of homemade bombs. Men had already been killed, while others were running around with fuzzy, alcohol laden brains, trying to find their weapons. The camp women ran under cover toward the kitchen to wait out the battle with Maria and the others.

Sharpe and Harper were already in the courtyard, as his men began to fire back. He did not see either of the hostages, so they were likely still upstairs with Sharpe's other riflemen, as he did not see them in the courtyard.

Obadiah meant to kidnap one of the hostages to use as a shield to help him make his getaway from Adrados - the time had come to cut his losses, to bugger off home to Anna. As he neared the stairway closest to the hostages' cells, he heard people coming down, so he quickly hid behind some wooden barrels piled in an alcove next to the stairway.

No sooner than he'd done so than a couple of riflemen appeared, escorting Sarah Dubreton. Still hearing clattering on the stairs, he readied himself to pounce, when Lady Farthingdale appeared, escorted by the youngest, smallest rifleman. Jumping out at the last moment, he made short work of the young rifleman, knocking him out, then grabbed Lady Farthingdale, throwing her over his shoulder.

Completely unnoticed in the confusion of battle raging in the courtyard, Obadiah went through a door leading to the exit near the stables. Isabella screamed, but no one heard her over the din of clashing swords, shots being fired, and yelling men.

"Don't waste your breath, missy, they're too busy right now to worry about the likes of you," Obadiah cackled, twitching. "You and me are just going to take a bit of a ride, 'til I can get far enough away from here. Anybody try to stop me and I'll kill you. You fight me, and I'll kill you, see?"

"I understand," she said miserably, wondering when this nightmare would ever end.

"You plays it smart and you'll end up back with your decrepit old husband," Hakeswill said. "Or maybe you'll run off with ol' Sharpie, eh? I knows you let him do you last night, same way as you let me do you."

"It wasn't the same at all!" she shot back indignantly.

"Or maybe if you give me too bad of a time, I'll turn you over to Sharpie's whore and she'll kill you for me," he continued, ignoring her outburst. "Only difference bein' is that I'd make it quick and she'd make you suffer, she would."

Isabella shuddered at the thought of it. She'd heard of Sharpe's wife, known as _La Aguja, _and knew that Hakeswill was not exaggerating.

Once in the stable, Obadiah threw Isabella sideways over the saddle then quickly swung up behind her. Leaving the stable, he directed the horse through the streets of Adrados, heading out of town, as the battle continued to rage inside the convent.

They made it out of the village without incident, but as the horse entered a grove of trees close to where they would join up with the road leading westward, Obadiah heard the sound of approaching hoof beats.

Stopping to listen, he warned Isabella, "Keep your mouth shut, if you knows what's good for you." After she nodded, he cocked his pistol, then looked at the break in the trees to see who it would be.

A moment later, Teresa Moreno appeared on horseback, reining the animal in sharply when she saw the sniggering Obadiah Hakeswill waiting for her. Acting on instinct, she drew her pistol and pointed it at him.

"Sharpie's whore," Obadiah cackled nastily, twitching. "Put that pistol down, lassie, or I'll blow Lady Farthingdale's brains out!"

As Teresa hesitated, Isabella implored her, "Save yourself! Shoot him!"

After a moment, Teresa reluctantly lowered the pistol, knowing that Hakeswill would indeed kill Isabella if he thought it necessary.

Cackling again, Obadiah slowly removed the pistol from Isabella's head, then suddenly turned it on Teresa and fired.

As the shot hit her, Teresa's eyes widened in shock at the sudden pain. She could hear Hakeswill still cackling as she began to fall from the horse.

"Wrong move to give your life for this whore, missy," Hakeswill told her with great satisfaction. "She done scratched Sharpie's itch not more 'n a couple of hours ago. And I've sampled her charms, too, I have."

Before he could continue, Isabella bit Hakeswill hard on the hand, causing him to loosen his grip around her waist. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she slipped off the horse and began to run, as Teresa fell onto the ground, mortally wounded.

Hakeswill recovered quickly, then grabbed his second pistol before dismounting to catch Isabella before she could make it very far. Knocking her to the ground, he straddled her, intending to teach her a good lesson. But as he reached up to pin her arms to the ground, he heard the unmistakable sound of a pistol being cocked behind him.

Keeping his weapon pointed at Isabella's neck, he turned to find the Frenchman, Dubreton, on horseback, pointing a pistol at him.

"Put down your pistol," Dubreton ordered harshly. "Shoot Lady Farthingdale and I will turn you over to Captain Sharpe."

Several men were with the Frenchman, so Obadiah knew he had no other choice but to obey. "I surrender myself to you, sir," he said, immediately dropping back into his sergeant's speech patterns. "Deal with me how you will, but don't turn me over to Sharpe."

"Agreed."

Now free, Isabella ran over to Teresa, who was lying on the ground. As the young woman knelt by her side and supported her head, Teresa struggled to speak. She'd heard what Hakeswill had said, but at this point, it didn't matter much to her any longer.

"Tell Sharpe…" she gasped, unable to continue.

Meanwhile, one of the French soldiers had dismounted and dragged Hakeswill over to Dubreton's horse. Looking up indignantly at the haughty Frenchman, Obadiah exclaimed, 'You gave me your word!"

"I'll deal with you myself," Dubreton said scornfully. "And I will!" Leaning forward, the Frenchman quickly backhanded Hakeswill, showing the utter contempt he felt for this man.

As Obadiah rubbed his cheek, Dubreton indicated to one of his men to bind Hakeswill's hands and to attach a long lead to his saddle. Other men went to carefully lift the dying Teresa Moreno into the two wheeled cart they had with them.

After he'd had his hands bound together and was waiting behind the soldier's horse, Obadiah watched impassively as Sharpe's wife was placed in the cart. It looked pretty bad for him right now, but he was not overly worried. Things had always worked out for him before and they would again. As the procession began to head back to Adrados, he was glad the main part of his loot was where it was. He would find a way to escape, of that he was sure. He'd have escaped this time, had not Dubreton come along at just the wrong moment.

A few minutes later, as the group arrived back in Adrados, Obadiah saw his men being marched out under guard, with Pot au Feu at the head of the long line, his hands on top of his head. He wasn't surprised, however, when he was led past his former compatriots, further into the town.

The procession stopped moments later, when Dubreton encountered Richard Sharpe, standing in the centre of the town, with his men, and Lord Farthingdale.

Sharpe looked up as he heard the rumbling cart, not quite registering what he saw at first.

Major Nairn, who had accompanied the cart into town, called out, "I'm sorry, Sharpe."

Rushing over to where Teresa lay sprawled in the cart, he stood there stunned for a long moment before crouching down beside her to hear her last words.

"I love you, Richard," she said weakly, summoning the last of her strength. "I forgive you.'

"Please don't go," he begged, wondering what she meant by forgiving him. He glanced up for a moment and saw Isabella standing within earshot, her face reddening as she turned away.

"I gave you a daughter…" Teresa continued, gaining his full attention once more.

"Don't go," he begged again, holding her hand.

"You never stopped me from doing what I meant to do," she rasped out. "That's why I loved you so much. You set me free. Set me free now, Richard, please."

Fighting to hold back the tears, he bent to give his wife one last kiss. As he lifted his head, he saw her eyes glaze over in death. She was gone.

"I'm truly sorry, _Monsieur_," Dubreton said formally, as Sharpe slowly straightened up. Indicating Hakeswill with a jerk of his thumb, he added, "This is the man who killed your wife."

Narrowing his eyes as he beheld his mortal enemy, Sharpe said in a tired voice, "A liar, a thief, a rapist, and a murderer. That's not a man. Take it away."

As he was led away, Obadiah's eyes found Maria in the crowd. Looking up at him with a sorrowful expression, her hands up to her mouth, she followed unobtrusively to see where they took him.


	51. Captured

Obadiah felt his spirits lift a bit, when he noticed Maria following along. At least someone here cared what happened to him, it would seem. And she would be the perfect person to help him escape if he could persuade her to do it. Sharpie had always had a blind spot when it came to women, so he'd never suspect any woman being cunning enough to work against him, despite being deceived by them several times since Obadiah had known him.

A few moments later, he was untied from the back of the horse and led back into the convent, where the Froggy soldier turned him over to one of Frederickson's riflemen. This was a good thing, too, Obadiah thought to himself as the slight young man led him upstairs and locked him in the cell that Lady Farthingdale had previously occupied. It was fortunate because this man and his comrades in arms, several of whom were milling around in the courtyard, didn't know him, so it would be easier to gull them into complacency while guarding him.

Nevertheless, Hakeswill knew that this wasn't the right time to try to overpower his guard and make a break for it, considering all them buggers downstairs and with Sharpie being nearby. He would have to bide his time and wait for a better opportunity.

"Somebody will bring you something to eat, 'fore too long, I don't doubt," the young soldier told him vaguely as he locked the door behind him. "There's still quite a few women still here, so I guess they'll be doing the cooking for all of us."

Hakeswill cackled quietly as the soldier hung the ring of keys on the hook on the wall, rather than pocketing them. Security here was definitely lax and he hoped Sharpie would be too distracted to notice. After he heard the guard retreat down the stairs, Obadiah went to go sit on the bed to collect his thoughts and to plan his escape. The smell of sex was still faintly detectable in the enclosed space, further confirming of what Maria had told him just a few hours ago.

As he reclined on the bed where Sharpie and Isabella had so recently coupled, Obadiah berated himself for coming back inside the convent after saddling his horse. If he'd just ridden away then, he'd have gotten clean away. He blamed his lapse of judgement on being still half drunk, otherwise he'd not have been so bleedin' stupid.

Taking Anna's portrait out of his waistcoat pocket, he whispered to it. "I promise I'll get out of this somehow, Anna, and I'll be coming home to you as soon as I can get away from here."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Maria slipped back into the convent unnoticed a short time after she'd seen the French solider turn Obadiah over to a British soldier. The place was still in disarray, considering it had not been but a short while since they'd led Pot au Feu and his men out of there. They'd not paid any attention to the camp women when they'd rounded up all the remaining deserters, so Maria figured it might be some time before they took any notice of her. Once inside the courtyard, she looked up in time to see the soldier locking Obadiah in one of the cells upstairs.

She decided it was a good idea to wait awhile before trying to see him, so she went back to the kitchen where she'd spent most of the battle. Several of the other women were still there, not quite knowing what to do with themselves. Suzette had gone, as Maria knew she would, as soon as Sarah Dubreton had left the convent in search of her husband.

The woman sat at the table, discussing what they should do next, now that the deserter army was no more. Most of them had joined the deserter army out of choice and did not have any homes to return to or knew their families wouldn't accept them back if they did try to return.

"Ah, there you are, Maria," one of the camp women said, as Maria poured herself a cup of coffee and joined them at the table. "Are all the men gone, now? Did they find Hakeswill?"

"Yes, they marched the men and Pot au Feu out the town gate and no doubt are heading to the British lines," she reported, sighing loudly. "And they captured Obadiah just a little while ago and locked him upstairs in one of the hostages' cells." After an uncomfortable pause, she added quietly, "It seems that he killed Captain Sharpe's wife."

None of the women were particularly surprised by this; they'd already known that Obadiah Hakeswill was a hard man. Still, he'd not harmed any of them so they were properly sympathetic, at least for Maria's sake, not knowing exactly how she felt about the man.

"What do you plan to do now, Maria?" one of the woman said. "Most of us have decided to go along with this army when they leave. Men are men and armies are armies. We'll get along all right. What will you do? Are you coming with us?"

"No, I don't think so," Maria said, her tone pensive. "I have no desire to follow the army. And I must stay at least long enough to see what will happen to Obadiah."

"You don't owe him anything, Maria," another woman said flatly. "He abducted you and his men killed your husband."

"I have my reasons," Maria said evasively.

"Suit yourself," the other woman said, shrugging. "You have plenty of time to change your mind before these men leave, I'm thinking."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Anna Hakeswill was pensive as the family sat down to an especially fine Christmas dinner of roast goose. This had been the first year since she'd been married to Obadiah that she'd spent Christmas without him and she'd not been quite able to get into the holiday spirit because of missing him so much. The children missed him as well but, as children are wont to do, they'd adjusted better to his absence than she had.

Still, she'd made an effort for the children's sake, getting them each a few small gifts despite her limited budget. Though Obadiah had told her in his letters that he would return with a good amount of money, Anna had never been one to count her chickens before they were hatched.

As the family ate, Anna looked at her children with loving pride. They'd all grown so much in the past year that Obadiah would be amazed at how much they'd changed during his absence. She smiled slightly to herself as she imagined his likely reaction at seeing them and his newborn daughter when he finally returned home.

"Mama?" Anna looked over at Bridget, who'd interrupted her woolgathering.

"Yes, dear?" she replied, smiling down at her eldest daughter.

"Do you think that Da is having as good of a Christmas dinner in Spain as we're having here?" Bridget asked.

"I certainly hope so, Bridget," Anna told her. "Though it's hard to imagine anyone cooking better than Mrs Harris does."

"Do you think Mrs Harris could cook another Christmas dinner especially for Da, even though it won't be Christmas when he gets home?" Bridget asked anxiously. "I think it is ever such a grand idea."

"I don't see why not," Anna replied, her smile now heartfelt. "That would be a wonderful welcome home present for him."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As his family back in England enjoyed their Christmas day, Obadiah Hakeswill sat alone in the dimly lit cell, planning how he would escape and remain alive. He briefly imagined how his family was spending the day and was relieved they had no idea of his plight. Better for Anna not to know until well after the fact, after he'd got home. He knew how upset she would be if she knew and he was glad to spare her that heartache.

Moments later, the cell's grate was rattled impatiently, interrupting Obadiah's ruminations.

"Get up, you miserable bastard!" Richard Sharpe stood glaring inside the cell, looking as if he'd like nothing better than kill Obadiah on the spot.

Regarding his enemy with an unapologetically insolent stare, Obadiah took his time coming to the window. "What do you want, Sharpie? Can't you see I'm busy here?" He cackled throatily at his own wit.

:"Shut your gob, Obadiah, I'm not interested in anything you have to say."

Ignoring Sharpe's demand, he casually drawled, "Why don't you be a good lad and bring Lady Farthingdale back up here, so's I can do her again. That Froggy officer didn't let me do her earlier and I don't want to disappoint the lady, 'cos she liked it so well the first time I did her, see? Seems you weren't enough for her last night. Woman's insatiable, she is." After a beat, he added, "Too bad that wife of your died to protect that stupid bint, considering that she'd not long been out of bed after scratching _your _itch."

It suddenly dawned on Sharpe just what Teresa had meant when she'd told him just before she died that she'd forgiven him.

"You! You told Teresa that I'd been with Isabella!" Sharpe couldn't figure out how Obadiah even knew about it.

"'Course I did, Sharpie," Obadiah cackled, twitching slightly. "Figured she needed to know about it 'fore she met her maker." Twitching again, he reiterated, "Pity, that, her givin' up her life for the likes of that Portuguese whore. Had to kill her, though, 'cos she pointed her pistol at me first, see? She'd have killed me if I'd not killed her."

Grinning insolently, he concluded, "Which one of us, do you think, ended up givin' Lady Farthingdale a bellyful, eh? Certainly not that decrepit old fop she's married to. Had to be one of the two of us. Time will tell, eh, Sharpie."

Sharpe had had enough of Hakeswill's taunting. "I ought to kill you right now and be done with it!" Rattling the door, he barked, "Pat! Where are those keys? I'll put an end to this miserable bastard right now, for once and for all!"

Harper had grabbed the keys and hidden them in his pockets. "No, Mr Sharpe," he said, he tone placating. "Remember what you told me? You said you wanted him to have a trial before his execution, so that all his victims know that justice was properly served, so you did, sir."

Sharpe made a grab at Harper to try to wrest the keys from him, but the bigger man was too strong. After a moment of struggling with him, Sharpe abruptly gave up. "Ah, you're right, Pat. I don't have the time to deal with this now. We've got to worry about the French threat first, before I take care of this problem."

"Right you are, sir," Harper said. "And we have to give Miss Teresa a proper burial first, too, so we do."

Sighing sorrowfully, Sharpe turned back to Obadiah. "I just came up here to tell you that after I deal with the French, I'll be dealing with you. You'll have a court martial, after which you'll finally get what's been coming to you."

Not wanting to hear any retort Hakeswill might give, Sharpe spun on his heel and left, with Harper trailing behind him after replacing the cell door keys on the hook.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After leaving the kitchen, Maria had seen Richard Sharpe go upstairs to Obadiah's cell, accompanied by his sergeant. She immediately scooted out of sight, directly under the walkway in front of Obadiah's cell, hoping to overhear what was said.

Despite the everyday sounds of the women and soldiers going about their business, she didn't have to strain very much to hear the conversation. It wasn't long before she realized that this Sharpe had a long-standing, deep-seated hatred of Obadiah and meant to make sure he was dead before he left Adrados for good.

Maria knew that Obadiah was not an honourable man and that he no doubt deserved what Richard Sharpe intended for him. Nevertheless, she was determined not to let this happen if there was anything at all she could do to prevent it. No matter what eventually happened, however, she was determined to see it through until the end.

She ducked out of sight a moment later, after hearing Sharpe and Harper clattering back down the stairs. It wouldn't do for her to be caught eavesdropping.

To Maria's great relief, the two Englishmen paid no attention to anyone as they stalked back across the courtyard and out the front entrance of the convent.

Now, she had to figure out a plausible reason to visit Obadiah. There were too many English soldiers milling around in the courtyard for her to go up to his cell unnoticed. Thinking for a moment, she realized it was nearly time for the noon meal. When she'd left the kitchen, a few of the women were preparing the meal that Pot au Feu had started early that morning. An idea immediately presented itself in her mind: someone would have to bring Obadiah his meals and empty his chamber pot and Maria was determined to be that someone.

As she headed back to the kitchen, she met two of the other camp women coming from the chapel, both looking sombre.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked them, noting their glum expressions.

"We've just come from preparing Major Sharpe's wife for burial," one of the women told her. "We washed her body and dressed her in clean clothes. Now, she is lying in there waiting for the men to bring her coffin."

"When is the funeral?" Maria asked.

The other woman shrugged. "They did not say. Tomorrow, I would think. I have heard that the French are near and that these men hope to keep them from Adrados, so I would imagine they would want to see her buried before they go to fight the French."

Maria did not comment, but filed the information away to tell Obadiah once she got a chance to talk to him.

As the three women entered the kitchen, dinner was about ready. Men from the detachment that had been assigned to guard the convent had already begun to gather in the refectory for the meal soon to come. Just before some of the women were about to start serving, a private came into the kitchen.

"I need a plate of food for the prisoner," the young soldier said. "And someone to come with me while I unlock the door."

"I will do it," Maria said quickly, moving to generously fill a plate for Obadiah. The other women in the kitchen exchanged knowing glances, but said nothing. None of them really wanted to do it, so they saw no problem with Maria volunteering for that duty.

As they mounted the stairs moments later, Maria could tell that the young soldier was bored and distracted, which could only be to Obadiah's benefit.

Obadiah came to the window as he heard them approach, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Maria with the tray, piled high with food.

When the private opened the cell door so she could give him his tray, Hakeswill gave no indication that he knew Maria, but nodded almost imperceptibly when she silently mouthed, "_I will talk to you later_", as she handed him the food.

No sooner had he locked the door back, than the private hurried away, not bothering to see if Maria was following him. It was Christmas and he was hungry, so he didn't want to miss any of the meal now being served in the refectory.

Maria followed him as far as to the stairwell, then waited there for a few moments to make sure he was gone and that no one else was nearby. When she was satisfied, she crept back to the cell, where she found Obadiah waiting for her.

"Thanks for comin' back, missy," Obadiah said, twitching, as she came near. "You could have just buggered off as soon as the battle was over."

"I couldn't just walk away," Maria said quietly. "I have to see it through, no matter what happens. When I saw them leading you through the street, I knew I couldn't leave."

"I 'preciates that, missy," Obadiah said softly, twitching again.

"They say you killed that officer's wife," she said hesitantly. "Is it true?"

"Had to, missy," he told her firmly. "She drew her weapon on me first. I wasn't about to just sit there and let her shoot me, see?"

"No, you're right," Maria agreed reluctantly. "She put herself in that position, sad to say."

"That's right," he affirmed. "It ain't as if I went lookin' for her to kill her."

"There are a few things I need to tell you before the guard comes back," she said hurriedly. "They are probably going to have the funeral for the woman tomorrow. And after that, Sharpe and his men will be dealing with the French. Rumour has it that a French force is drawing near, wanting to take Adrados from them."

"Interesting, that," Obadiah said, the wheels already turning in his head.

"I could come and set you free while they are at the funeral," Maria told him eagerly. "They always leave the keys on the hook and it's the perfect time."

"I 'preciates your help, I do, but that ain't the right time," he told her. "Can't do it during the day, 'cos it would be too easy for them to track me once they noticed I was gone. Has to be at night, it does, and when Sharpie's too busy worrying about the French to be able to come right away to hunt me down."

"I see," she said slowly. "You are right, of course."

Gazing out at the Spanish woman with genuine fondness, he asked gruffly, "Why do you want to help an old bastard like me for, eh? It's not as if I gave you any choice in the matter about bein' with me."

Looking away for a long moment, she finally turned back to look into his eyes. She had to tell him because he had a right to know. "Obadiah, I'm…with child. I cannot stand by and see the father of my child put to death."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**Author's note:** _I've put up a new blog post containing three new pictures for this story. My blog can be accessed through a link on my profile._


	52. Obadiah's Plans

Obadiah was silent for a long moment after Maria announced that she was pregnant. Finally, he gave her an almost shy grin, then said, "Seems you got the miracle you were praying for after all, missy. Just not in the way you expected it, eh?"

"God does work in mysterious ways, it would seem," she replied, her voice almost shaky. "So now you understand why I couldn't just leave you to your fate."

"I do," he said simply, twitching. It didn't change anything between them, however. As soon as he was free, he'd be heading home to his own sweet Anna. Changing the subject, he said, "Now, we needs to have a plan to get me out of here."

"I'm listening," she said.

"First off, I'm gong to need you to sneak me a knife in here," he told her. "Then you needs to get me a pistol, but don't give it to me 'til you break me out of here. I might end up havin' to knife the guard, but a pistol would make noise that would bring a bunch of other buggers running up here, see?" After a pause, he added, "Try looking in my quarters first. All them things should still be in there, unless Sharpie or one of his bleedin' rifleman done snaffled them up already."

"I understand," she acknowledged. "I'll do that."

"You needs to get you a knife for yourself, too," he considered. "You never know when you might need it to defend yourself." He then described the best method to quickly kill or disable a potential attacker with a knife, then said, "Think you could do that, missy? You don't have to be all that strong for it to work, just quick and accurate. Sharpie's wife was very good with a knife, so I've heard, and if she can do it, so can you."

"I wouldn't want to do it, but I could if it was necessary," Maria assured him.

"That's it, missy," he encouraged "Just think that if it comes down to it being them or you to die, that it had better be them. You've got an added advantage, 'cos most men don't expect a woman to defend herself."

"That is true." She swallowed nervously, hoping she wouldn't be confronted by such a situation. "But I hope I don't have to do something like that."

"I hope you don't, too," he agreed, twitching. "But it pays to be prepared for anything that might happen, 'cos it increases your chances of staying alive. You have to do it to them 'fore they gets the chance to do it to you."

"Maybe the guard will be drunk," Maria speculated. "Most soldiers like to drink and these that I've seen who are assigned to the convent seem to be kind of careless; they want to relax. It's Christmas and New Year's Day is coming, so maybe these men will want to take advantage of this posting while the others are fighting the French."

"That's a good possibility," Obadiah allowed. "Sharpie was always good at making sure the men had plenty of rum. No doubt he figures I ain't going nowhere and he's distracted by his whore's death and the Crapauds bothering him." After a pause, he added, "But I wouldn't count on it if I were you, but just be happy if it happens that way."

"I will keep watching the new soldiers to see how they act," she said.

"Another thing I needs you to do is go into the stable and see if they put my horse back in there," he instructed. "I needs to know that and, if not, if there are other horses in there."

"I will do that as soon as I leave you," she promised.

"Do you know how to saddle a horse, missy," Obadiah asked hopefully.

"Yes, I do," she affirmed. "I had a horse when I was a girl, before I met Ernesto."

"If there's a horse in there, I'll want you to have him saddled and ready 'fore you comes to let me go," he explained. "I don't need to waste no time in saddling a horse right after I get out of here, 'cos the quicker I can leave this place, the better my chances of getting away."

He didn't mention Pot au Feu's loot in the well that he intended to grab before buggering off. He trusted Maria, but not completely. He'd not lasted as long as he had in the army by trusting people completely.

"Seems like we got a pretty good plan, then," he said a few moments later, reaching a few fingers outside the grate to briefly touch Maria's before slowly withdrawing them.

Maria became instantly alert when she heard a noise downstairs. "Someone is coming, I think."

"You'd best move along then, missy," Obadiah told her. "Wouldn't do for none of them to catch you being too friendly with me. They'd start watching you more closely if they thought there was something between the two of us."

"I will come back as soon as I can," Maria promised. "And I will see you when I bring your meals."

"Good," he said. "We should be able to get this done in a couple of days, then." After a beat, he added, "Off with you, now, 'fore they sees you here."

Obadiah watched as she hurried away, then went back to rest on the narrow bed, resigned to biding his time until the right moment. He knew he'd need the rest if he was to make a successful dash to the Portuguese coast. Stretching out on the bed, he was asleep within minutes.

Maria stayed up late that night, waiting to see when Sharpe and Harper would return. The two men stumbled back to the convent long after the sun had gone down, neither quite sober. Maria was crossing the courtyard on the way to the kitchen when the two appeared.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but could you tell me where they put my wife's body?" Richard Sharpe called out to her.

"Her body is in the chapel," Maria told him, gesturing with her right hand as she began to walk in the same direction to show them. As they entered the large room, where only days before Sharpe had given Obadiah the ransom money, she pointed to where Teresa rested in an open wooden coffin. "There."

"Thank you, ma'am," Sharpe said, his voice subdued.

As she turned to leave the man alone to grieve, she heard him tell the big Irish sergeant that he would be sitting up with her for the rest of the night; that he'd stay with her until they buried her the next day.

No sooner had she left the chapel, than she heard the Irish sergeant following her. Turning, she waited to see what he wanted.

"I was wondering, if it isn't too much trouble, if you know if I could get a bit of food," the big man explained. "Mr Sharpe and I really haven't have much of anything to eat all day since Miss Teresa was killed."

"I imagine there must be some leftovers from dinner," she said, shrugging, as she continued to walk. "There was quite a bit more food available than the number of men we ended up serving."

"I'm sure it's a big relief to you that we took them filthy deserters out of here," Harper said, in a mood to be chatty. "It can't have been easy for you women living with them bastards."

"I managed well enough," she said laconically. "It wasn't as bad as you would expect."

"A bit hard to believe," Harper remarked. "Obadiah Hakeswill is a right bastard and I can't see him treating any woman well." Before she could reply, he added, "I'm surprised that so many of you ladies are still here. I would have thought most of you would have left the moment you were free to go, so I did."

"Most of the women were here willingly, believe it or not," Maria told him. "Some were whores; others were just looking for adventure. Most have nowhere to go now, and will probably end up following your army, instead."

She did not react to his comments about Obadiah, wanting to avoid anything that would cause him to link her to him, perhaps endangering his escape. Best just to let him think she was simply another one of the whores; it was safer for both her and Obadiah that way.

"Will you be joining us, then, when we leave Adrados?" Harper asked, curious.

"I haven't decided yet" Maria said shortly. "If you'll excuse me, Sergeant, it's been a very long day and I really must get some rest." She turned and walked off, before he could engage her in more conversation.

Early the next morning, Maria rose early, making sure she was up in time to serve Obadiah's breakfast. Yawning loudly, she donned a fresh shift and skirt, then slipped next door to Obadiah's quarters to look through his belongings for the items he'd asked her to find.

She knew that Sharpe hadn't had the chance to ransack the room yet, so she figured she'd better get any weapons while she could. It didn't take her long to find a sheathed bayonet under his mattress, as well as a dagger. A further search revealed two pistols, along with the accompanying accessories. Knowing that Sharpe wouldn't search her room, Maria brought the lot of it to her room. After stowing it all out of sight she went back to Obadiah's quarters to grab some of the civilian clothing he had bought for himself, so he'd have more than what he was wearing after he escaped.

Once this was done, she quickly hurried down to the kitchen to eat.

No sooner had she finished her own breakfast, than the same soldier from the day before arrived in the kitchen to take Obadiah his food.

A few minutes later, as she accompanied the soldier across the courtyard with Obadiah's plate, Maria observed several men taking Teresa's coffin out of the convent followed by Sharpe, Harper, and several other mourners. By the time she and the guard had reached the second floor, the funeral procession was gone.

As before, the guard wasted no time leaving, once he'd locked the cell door back after Maria had given Obadiah his plate. No sooner than he was out of sight, than Maria went back to her room to retrieve the bayonet with its scabbard. She slipped it inside the waistband of her skirt, with her jacket covering the scabbard's handle. It wouldn't do for a soldier to catch her with it before she could give it to Obadiah.

"They just left for the funeral," Maria told Obadiah when he came back to the window as she walked up. "They should be gone at least an hour or two."

"I'd say so, missy." Changing the subject, he asked, "Were you able to find me a knife, eh?"

"Yes, I have it right here," she said, carefully slipping it out of her waistband after making sure no one was around to see. Lifting it up to the window grate, she carefully threaded it through the hole, where he quickly took it from her and retreated into his cell for a moment to hide it away.

"I also got a dagger, two pistols, and the things that go with them," Maria reported once he'd returned. "And I took some of your clothing, so you'll have more than what's on your back when you leave. Sharpe would never think to search my room for your things."

"Good thinking," Obadiah said, twitching. "Clever one, you are." As he regarded her with an approving smile, he realized that he would be leaving his youngest child - the child he would not know - in capable hands after he left Spain.

"I will collect some food for you to take as well," she added. "Things that will not spoil easily, at least."

"And the horse?" he asked. "Is he in the stable?"

"Yes, he's there, along with the saddle and saddlebags," Maria affirmed.

Satisfied that things were going according to plan, Obadiah told her, "You'd best bugger off now, missy. Safer that way."

"Yes, of course," she agreed. "I'll try to come back if I hear anything important."

"I'll be here," he quipped. "I ain't going nowhere for now."

Nearly two hours later, an exhausted Richard Sharpe returned to the convent, along with Sergeant Harper and about a half dozen of his riflemen. They came into the refectory, where Maria sat with a few other women having coffee.

"I wonder if I might trouble you ladies for a bit of food for me and my men," Sharpe asked tiredly. "I've just buried my wife and all I want to do is fill my belly and then get some sleep."

Three of the women stood and bustled off to the kitchen to prepare them a meal, but Maria remained at the table, along with a couple of other women. The men might possibly say something that could prove useful to Obadiah, so she didn't want to chance missing anything.

Unfortunately, they didn't say much beyond what she already knew. Sharpe intended to start hunting the French after getting several hours of sleep, planning to engage in reconnaissance before engaging in battle.

Sharpe ate hurriedly, then went back to the chapel, where his men bedded down, while he settled down in the small anteroom in the back.

The green jacketed riflemen slept all day, not emerging from the chapel until early evening. After taking a mostly quiet meal in the refectory, they filled their haversacks with leftovers, knowing they might be gone for a few days. Sharpe was intent on following his assignment to neutralize the French threat; only after he completed this mission would he be able to deal with Obadiah Hakeswill.

Most of Frederickson's men went with Sharpe's men, leaving a skeleton crew of only two men to guard the convent.

Obadiah chuckled appreciatively when Maria came to report the latest developments to him some time later. "Seems Sharpie ain't got his mind on things proper," he guessed. "He ain't thinking straight. The stupid bugger ought to know after knowing me all these years that I'm going to try to escape." Rattling the cell door, briefly, he added, "If the bleedin' sod thinks this is enough to keep me from running, then he's done gone soft in the head, he has."

"He is in mourning," Maria reminded him gently. "And he cannot even take proper time for that because he must also keep the French out of Adrados."

"Good for me, that is," Obadiah said, twitching briefly. "Means it will be easier for me to bugger off out of here. I hope them Froggies keep him busy for days. I always knew they was good for something."

"So, when do you want to do it?" she asked. "Right now, your guard is down in the refectory drinking rum."

"Hope the stupid sod stays there 'til he's blind drunk," he said, twitching. "Likely as not he will, 'cos he knows Sharpie will be away for a few days and won't know what he's doing." Taking a deep breath, he told her, "We might give it a try tonight, Stay up and watch what that guard does and if you can, come back here in the middle of the night and get me out of here."

"All right," she said nervously. Maria was now beginning to worry what Sharpe might do if he suspected her of helping Obadiah to escape. After a moment, she timidly asked him, "What do you think this Sharpe will do to me if he realizes I am the one who helped you to escape? One of the other women is bound to tell him of my connection to you when he asks."

"To be honest with you, I hadn't thought about that, missy," Obadiah admitted. Indeed, he hadn't thought of anything past a clean getaway and making his way home to his Anna. "Can't imagine he'd be too happy with you, 'cos he's been trying to get me for years." Thinking for a moment, he asked her, "What were you planning to do after I buggered off from here, eh? I thought you would have just gone back to live in your house."

"There is no reason for me to stay here in Adrados now that Ernesto is dead," she said. "I have a widowed sister in Cadiz who would take me in, so I thought I would try to go there. It will be better for the baby in Cadiz, I think."

"And how was you planning to get there?"

"I hadn't really thought about it, but I'd thought of going at least partway with Sharpe and his men when they leave here," she told him. "That is what most of the women here plan to do."

"That won't do, missy," he said firmly. "Them buggers won't be heading nowheres near Cadiz; it's the wrong way." After a long pause, he said, "Tell you what. I'll take you with me as far as the Portuguese coast and you can get on a ship bound for Cadiz. Much quicker that way, it is."

"I don't have the money for my passage," she pointed out.

"I'll pay for it," Obadiah told her.

"You would do that for me?" she asked, surprised.

"'Course I will," he assured her. "After all, that's my baby you're carrying and I wants him to be safe."

"Thank you," she whispered, greatly relieved.

"Go get the things you wants to take together now, along with the things of mine you got, so's you'll be ready to leave once you let me out," he instructed.

Obadiah went back to the bunk to get a few hours of sleep after Maria left, knowing he'd need to be alert if he was going to successfully pull off an escape.

Maria did not rest, however, since she was too busy making preparations for the breakout. In any instance, she would have been to nervous to sleep.

After leaving Obadiah, she went back to her room to stuff her clothing and Obadiah's into separate bags. She gathered his weapons and accessories together, putting them into yet another bag.

Once this was done, she went down to the kitchen to gather some food for the journey. Mercifully, the place was deserted, so she was able to collect what she needed without being observed. As she crossed the courtyard to go back to her room to wait until it was time to go, she passed the soldiers who had been left to guard the convent. The two men were sitting on a bench smoking pipes as they shared a large bottle of wine. They were both sufficiently inebriated that they took no notice of her as she slipped by them

She waited for an agonizingly long time, well into the wee hours, spending much of it nervously pacing the floor. When all was quiet and still within the convent, Maria noiselessly slipped out of her room and saw that no one was near Obadiah's cell. Looking down into the courtyard, she observed the two soldiers, still on the bench, snoring softly. No one else was about.

It was time.

Maria crept quietly over to Obadiah's cell, where she found him awake and alert. "Obadiah!" she hissed. "The guards are asleep and I'm about to go saddle the horse."

"I'll be ready when you gets back, missy," he assured her.

Maria carefully made her way to the stable, not meeting anyone on the way. Saddling the horse took a bit of time to accomplish, because this was something she'd not done in many years. Finally, the horse was ready and she returned him to his stall to wait.

All was quiet as she went back upstairs. She went first to her room and left the door cracked open, with the things they intended to take within easy reach. Taking a deep breath, she turned to go to Obadiah's cell to set him free. Grabbing the keys that had been obligingly left on the hook, she moved resolutely to the cell door.

"Come on, missy, open it up quick," Obadiah said, twitching urgently. "I'm ready to bugger off out of here!"

.

"


	53. Obadiah Gets Away

While Obadiah stood waiting impatiently, Maria opened the door to his cell. He was ready to go, with the blanket wrapped securely around his shoulders as he held the bayonet in its scabbard. Once the door was open, he took the keys from her and locked it back, so that any casual observer looking up from the courtyard would not see anything amiss.

"I have the things we need inside my room," she told him. "They're right by the door, so just grab your things and I'll get mine, then we can leave."

"Good planning missy," he said, his voice low, as he scuttled over to her room to get his belongings. Maria took the bag with her clothing, after which they carefully proceeded down the stairs.

All was clear as they reached the bottom. Hakeswill waited as Maria looked out the door that opened into the stable area, then followed her out when she silently gave the all-clear signal.

Once outside, he quietly told her, "Go into the stable and get the horse out of his stall. Wait in there 'til I comes in."

"What are you going to do?" she asked, bewildered.

"Got to get something out of that old well," Hakeswill replied, twitching "Won't take me but a minute or so, then we can be on our way."

After she obeyed, he made his way noiselessly to the dry well, then carefully brought the bundle containing Pot au Feu's loot to the top. Considering that his former partner in crime had been captured and would most likely be executed for desertion, Obadiah saw no reason to let the loot to go to waste. He was sure that Pot au Feu would rather he have it than Sharpie, in any instance.

A moment later, he entered the stable, where Maria stood waiting, holding the horse's reins.

"Let's go, missy," he said gruffly, then helped her up into the saddle before swinging up to sit behind her.

Hakeswill proceeded to the back road leading out of Adrados, keeping the horse at a walk, so as not to alert anyone who might be awake by the sound of loud hoof beats. Once out of town, however, he urged the horse into a trot, but did not risk going any faster, as he didn't quite know where Sharpe's men might be lurking.

Maria was surprised when he turned the horse down the narrow lane that led to her house. "Why are we stopping here?"

"Got to get my loot," he explained briefly. "I done buried it in your cellar a few days ago, so's no one would be stealing it from me."

"What about that bag you got when I was waiting in the stable," she asked, perplexed. "I thought that was your loot."

"That was Pot au Feu's," he replied. "Where he's going, he won't be needin' it no more, so I took it for myself. No point in letting Sharpie find it, eh?"

"I suppose not" she said as he helped her down from the horse.

"I won't be takin' too long to get my things, so you needs to get whatever you want to take with you quick as you can," he told her as they entered the house.

Maria lit two candles, putting them into holders. Handing one to Obadiah, she said, "Here, this will make it easier to find your things."

"'Preciate it, missy," he said, then left for the cellar with no further delay.

After Obadiah had gone to retrieve his belongings, Maria hurriedly grabbed several more clothing items, including a heavy shawl, and a few small sentimental mementoes. She paused by the wardrobe that held Ernesto's clothing, then pulled out several shirts for Obadiah, as well as socks, a hat, and a winter coat. Ernesto had been taller and heavier than Obadiah, so her dead husband's trousers would not work for the Englishman.

When Obadiah reappeared a few minutes later, she told him, "I collected a few of Ernesto's shirts and socks for you, and also his winter coat. It might get cold riding out to the coast and I know it will once you're aboard the ship going back to England."

"Good idea," he said, reaching up his hand to brush against her cheek. "You takes good care of me, you do." Going into the bedroom, he said, "Believe I'll change my clothes now, so's if anyone sees us riding from a distance, I'll be wearing something they won't expect to see me in and that might keep them from recognizing me."

"Make sure to wear the hat, so they will not be able to see your bald head," she cautioned. "That would give you away."

"Right you are, missy," he said, twitching slightly as he slipped on a pair of the new civilian trousers, then put on a new shirt. After stuffing his old clothes into the bag, he slipped on the coat, then put the hat on his head. "My own mother wouldn't know me now, eh?"

"Not from a distance, at least," she said, smiling.

"Let get out of here," he said gruffly, picking up his things. "You got what you needed, eh?"

"Yes, I'm ready," she affirmed, looking around her home for the last time. "Let us leave." After blowing out both candles, she put them and their holders into a bag to take with them.

Within moments they were heading down the road toward Portugal, moving at a pace that would be comfortable for the horse to maintain for several hours. As the horse put miles between them and Adrados, Obadiah held Maria close to him, so they both could share the warmth on a cold night of travelling.

They rode for hours, neither saying very much, as they concentrated on the need to get away and to stay warm. About an hour or two after the sun came up, Obadiah spied a small town up ahead in the distance.

Maria noticed it at the same time he did, sitting up a bit straighter to get a better look.

"Believe we'll get us a room once we get into that town, missy," Obadiah decided. "We needs to get us some sleep 'fore we go any further."

"That is a good idea," Maria agreed, yawning, as if to emphasize her point. "I can barely keep my eyes open any longer."

After a short interval, they entered the Portuguese town. People going about their business in the dusty streets paid them scant attention as they found the lone inn situated in the middle of town. Obadiah paid to have the horse stabled, then they went into the inn, where they ate an early lunch.

A short time later Obadiah closed the door behind them as they entered the room he'd rented for the day. He quickly removed his clothing, then got into bed as Maria stood by a mirror to comb her hair. After watching her for a moment, he said, "Come on to bed, missy. I've got me an itch that needs scratching. Been several days since we've had a chance to be together, it has."

"All right, Obadiah," Maria said, sighing, as she walked over to the bed and stripped down to her shift, before climbing in next to him.

"That's better," he said, twitching, as he took her into his arms.

A half hour later the two fell asleep, still entwined, then slept peacefully for the next several hours.

Obadiah awakened at twilight feeling rested and ready to go. Looking down at Maria, who was still asleep, he shook her gently., "Time to get up and be on our way!"

"Mmmmm," Maria said groggily as she slowly returned to consciousness. "What time is it?"

"It's sundown," he told her. "Better for us to travel at night, it is. We needs to be on our way, 'cos the further I get from Sharpie, the better I like it."

"I'm awake now," she said, sitting up. "I'll be ready in a few minutes."

Before heading out a short time later, they ate a hearty meal, packing up the leftovers to take along with them to eat on the road.

The further they got from Adrados, the more Obadiah's mind turned to thoughts of his homecoming and seeing Anna and the children again, and also of meeting the new baby for the first time. It had been a long and eventful year and he was eager to rejoin his family.

Turning his attention to the Spanish woman in his arms, who now carried his fifth child, he realized that in a few months, he'd have two families. He wished he could do more for Maria, but it couldn't be helped. Anna was his heart and would always come first to him. Obadiah had decided he would give Maria some gold before they parted. He would try to send her money from time to time, when he had any to spare, for their child, but that would be it. It was a shame that he'd never know the child she would bear or be a father to it, but it was the way it had to be. He knew that Maria would love and care for this child and that had to be enough for him.

They made good time that night, even with making a few rest stops for the horse and to answer the call of nature. By the time they stopped to sleep for the day in another small Portuguese town, they were closer to the coast than to Adrados.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Back at the convent, the two guards had slept well into the morning after Obadiah had escaped. Between the rum and the wine they'd each imbibed in prodigious quantities, they'd slept like the dead and had only awakened when the bright rays of the rising sun had hit them in the eyes.

Disoriented and groggy when they first returned unwillingly to consciousness, their first thoughts were not about the prisoner they were supposed to be guarding. Rather, their first concern was how to ease the pounding in their heads and the dryness in their mouths.

It wasn't until much later that they remembered their duty. As they both eventually headed to the refectory to have some coffee, the younger of the two said, "I'd best bring a plate up to that bastard, Hakeswill. I'm surprised he ain't been yelling for it yet."

"You go ahead," the other soldier said. "I'm going to try to eat something and see if I can keep it down."

As the young soldier sauntered into the kitchen to pick up Hakeswill's breakfast, he did not see Maria among the women in there. No matter, another woman would do just as well.

"I need one of you ladies to come with me to feed the prisoner," he said, waiting expectantly.

The women exchanged glances, knowing that Maria preferred to do this duty, but apparently had slept late that morning.

Finally, a short buxom woman named Juanita tossed her head and said, "I will do it." She carelessly dumped some leftovers onto a plate and followed the soldier out of the room.

The soldier didn't even look inside the cell when he opened it a few minutes later.

"Where is he?" Juanita asked calmly after she'd moved forward to hand the plate to the prisoner. "There's no one in here."

"What?" The guard shoved the door open wide and saw that the Spanish woman was telling the truth. The cell was empty.

"Bloody hell!" he swore, taking off down the stairs to find the corporal.

Almost out of breath by the time he reached the refectory, he blurted out, "He's gone! I went to give the miserable bastard his plate and the cell was empty!"

Looking up blearily from his plate, the corporal just stared for a long moment. "What? How did he break the lock? That door is solid and he's just a skinny bugger."

"The lock wasn't broken," the private explained. "The door was locked when I found it."

Wiping his mouth, the corporal said, "Let's go take a look."

When the two arrived back at the cell, the corporal examined it closely. "He didn't break out of this cell, that's for sure. Probably Major Sharpe done come and got him while we were asleep, I'd say."

"You think?" the private said doubtfully.

"Makes sense to me." the corporal shrugged. "Either that or he gulled one of them women to open the door for him."

"Could be," the private said, scratching his head.

At that moment, there was a loud cry from down in the courtyard. Both men ran downstairs to see what the problem was and found that one of the prettier camp followers had tripped over a piece of rubble from the battle and had hurt her leg.

"Oh, _Dios_, it hurts so bad," the woman moaned as the two men ran up. Other women were milling around, not quite knowing what to do to help her.

The corporal kneeled down to examine her leg and, after a moment, said, "It's broken. She's going to need the town doctor to see her."

"I'll go find him," the private offered.

"You do that and I'll get her into the refectory," the other man said. Turning to the women, he ordered, "Somebody find a blanket and pillow or something to make her more comfortable."

The doctor came a short time later and after he'd taken care of the woman's broken leg, the other women wanted the man to take care of their aches and pains as well. A squabble broke out among them as to which of them should be seen first, which the two soldiers had to break up.

By the time the doctor had left the convent and peace had been restored within, they'd forgotten about Obadiah Hakeswill, with both men passively accepting the corporal's first explanation that Richard Sharpe must have come back to take Hakeswill from his cell. In any instance, there wasn't anything they could do about it now, considering that one of the reasons they'd been left at the convent was to protect the women there, as well guarding the prisoner. If he'd escaped, he was long gone.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Three days after Hakeswill's escape, Richard Sharpe and his men returned to the convent, weary but happy after defeating the French, thanks to an elaborate ruse Sharpe had devised. They'd been ordered to rejoin the main British forces without delay, but Sharpe had one last bit of business to attend to before they would move out.

It was time to make Obadiah Hakeswill pay the piper for all the havoc he'd created over the years and all the people he'd hurt. Sharpe was determined to see Hakeswill dead before he left Adrados.

Shortly after arriving back at the convent, he turned to Harper and said, "Come on, Pat. Let's go take care of that bastard Hakeswill now."

"I'm right behind you," Harper said, following Sharpe up the stairs.

After unlocking the cell door to an empty cell, Richard Sharpe stood there in stunned disbelief for a long moment, not quite registering that Hakeswill was gone.

Harper, who was standing where he could not see inside the cell, asked, "What's wrong, sir?"

"He's gone, that's what's wrong!" Sharpe roared, slamming his fist against the wall. "The bloody bastard has gotten away from me again!"

Looking sorrowful, Harper said, "He's a right slippery bastard, so he is."

Rushing over to look down into the courtyard, Sharpe spied the two soldiers he'd left to guard the convent. "You two!" he bellowed. "Up here! Now!"

When the two men appeared at the top of the steps, Sharpe looked at the corporal and coldly demanded, "Where is the prisoner, Corporal?"

"He's not with you?" the corporal asked, scratching his head.

"Now, why would he bloody well have been with me, eh?" Sharpe shot back. "I've been gone for the last three days fighting the Crapauds. What gave you the stupid idea I had him?"

"Well, when I found him gone, the door hadn't been forced; it was still locked," the corporal explained nervously. "So I figured you came to get him and just didn't tell us."

Sharpe and Harper exchanged glances, wondering how two soldiers could be so stupid. Barely keeping his temper in check, Sharpe demanded, "How long has it been since you noticed he was missing?"

"Three days ago," the corporal admitted sheepishly.

"Three _days_ ago?" Sharpe repeated. "The filthy bugger is no doubt long gone by now." Letting out a loud gusty sigh of frustration, he asked, "Didn't it occur to either of you to conduct an investigation?"

Before either of them could come up with an excuse, Sharpe said, "Never mind! I don't want to hear your excuses! I'll deal with the two of you later." Turning to Harper, he said, "First thing I'll need to do is talk to the women to see what they know. Get them all together in the refectory."

"Right away, sir," the sergeant said, hurrying off to do the officer's bidding.

As Sharpe went downstairs, followed reluctantly by the two embarrassed enlisted men, he met the rest of his riflemen at the bottom. They'd just seen Harper rushing past with a serious expression and now Sharpe was here, looking like he wanted to kill.

"Hakeswill's escaped," Sharpe explained briefly before anyone could ask. "He got away three days ago, and neither of these two bloody sods thought to come looking to tell me." Heaving another sigh, he admitted, "But I suppose there's nothing I could have done about it, anyway, not if I wanted to stop the French that is." Kicking a nearby barrel, he swore, "Damn that bloody Hakeswill!"

"Is there anything you want us to do to help?" Harris asked.

Sharpe thought for a long moment, then said, "We'll never find him now, not with three days head start and not with us being ordered to report back immediately to the general. But I want to know how it happened and I need to find clues that might help me find him later when I get the chance to look for the filthy bastard. I'm going to go talk to the women and see what they know, so you might all come to listen, then search the place to see if you can find any hints that might give us a clue as to where he was headed."

The group entered the refectory a few moments later, where the camp women sat waiting. Looking at Harper, he asked, "Is this all of them, Pat?"

"All except one," he replied. "It seems that the woman who showed you where Miss Teresa was the other night hasn't been seen since the day Hakeswill buggered off from here."

"Bloody hell, he's taken a hostage!" Sharpe exploded. "That's all we need!"

"Oh, no, Señor," Juanita piped up helpfully. "Maria would not be a hostage. She was Hakeswill's lover. If she went with him, she went because she wanted to. She even told us that she would not be going with us when we joined your baggage train."

Sharpe grimaced momentarily at the idea of any woman wanting to be Hakeswill's lover. Turning back to his men, he said, "Well at least we know now how he escaped. The woman must have let him out herself when those two worthless buggers were asleep or drunk or both."

"No doubt," Harper agreed, totally revolted by the thought of Maria in Hakeswill's bed.

"I still want you to search for clues as to where he might have gone," he told the men, who left immediately to search the convent. Facing the women again, he asked, "Does anyone here know where they might have gone?"

"She did not say," Juanita said, shrugging. "She never confided in us very much. I am sorry."

"Where did they sleep?" he asked her.

"Upstairs," the Spanish woman said. "Come on, I will show you."

When he entered Hakeswill's quarters a few moments later, Sharpe could see the evidence of Hakeswill's hasty departure. There was little left in the room and what remained was piled haphazardly on the unmade bed. He spied the red coat from Hakeswill's colonel's uniform draped carelessly over a chair.

As he snatched up the coat, a piece of paper fell out from an inner pocket onto the floor. He picked it up and saw it was a letter from an Anna Hakeswill in Surrey.

Sharpe was nonplussed as he read the heartfelt letter, full of love for the misanthropic ex-sergeant.

"_Hakeswill has a wife and children?" _he thought to himself, shaking his head in disbelief, wondering what kind of a woman would marry the likes of Obadiah Hakeswill. The fancy handwriting and vocabulary of the letter, as well as the quality of the paper, suggest an educated woman and, again, Sharpe wondered how such a mismatch had occurred. He did not remember Anna from India, thus had no idea who she might be.

Sharpe folded the letter back and put it in his pocket. This was the hint that he'd been looking for. He vowed that the next time he had the chance to return to England, that he'd be paying a visit to Surrey to take care of some unfinished business with Obadiah Hakeswill.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Obadiah and Maria rode into Porto at midday on the fourth day out from Adrados. It had been a fast, hard journey and they were both glad to see it at an end.

"There's the pier, missy," Obadiah said, as the horse trotted them close to the harbour, where several ships were moored. "Sight for sore eyes, it is."

"It is beautiful," she said, sighing. "I'm beginning to look forward to seeing my sister in Cadiz. It has been too long."

They'd eaten shortly before entering Porto and had also found a place to stock up on provisions for their respective journeys. The only thing left to do was to arrange their passages and to sell the horse.

All of this was accomplished in less than an hour. As luck would have it, Maria's ship and Obadiah's, both merchant ships, were docked adjacent to one another, so the two were able to say their goodbyes properly before boarding.

"I'll miss you," Obadiah told Maria, twitching. "You're a good woman and I know you'll make a fine mother to our little 'un."

"I think I will miss you as well," Maria admitted. "My time with you was better than I expected it to be. You were much kinder to me than my own husband was." Reaching up to brush his bony cheek with her hand, she added, "And, if not for you, I don't think I would have ever had a child. For that, I will always be grateful."

"Take good care of him and love him," Obadiah said gruffly. "That's all I ask."

"You know I will," she promised, "He will be my life."

Reaching into one of his pockets, he brought out a small pouch, filled with gold coins. "I wants you to have this to help take care of you and the baby."

Not at all proud, Maria took it from him and stuffed it down into her own pocket. It was enough to keep her going for at least a year, as long as she spent it wisely.

As the time came nearer for departure, Obadiah said, "I don't know if I'll ever see you again, missy, but I got your address just in case I ever come back to Spain."

Maria had his address, too, copied down from one of Anna's letters, but she did not expect to ever need to use it. She would save it, just in case the child she would bear would ever want to meet his father.

"I guess this is it," Obadiah said, taking her into his arms for one last, long kiss. "Take care of yourself, Maria. And our little 'un."

"Goodbye, Obadiah," she whispered. "May God protect you."

They broke apart after another lingering kiss, then walked resolutely to their ships, with neither pausing nor looking back.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

**Author's Note**: _Check out my blog for a photo of Porto where Obadiah and Maria said goodbye. My blog can be accessed through the link on my profile page_


	54. Homeward Bound

Obadiah Hakeswill stood at the stern of the ship he'd booked passage on, looking back as the coast of Portugal faded into the distance. It was only now that he could feel a measure of relief; that he'd made good his escape from Richard Sharpe.

Cackling softly, he muttered to himself as he looked back, 'You can't kill me, Sharpie. You should have known better than to think you could."

After taking several long minutes to smoke his pipe, he headed below decks, where he'd paid for a small, closet-sized room. There was barely enough space for him to turn around in, but it suited his need for privacy and to have a place where he could keep his loot locked up. There was a bunk and enough room to stow his gear, so that was enough for him.

It would be his home for the next couple of weeks and he could easily bear it for that long. Hakeswill intended to use the time planning his next move. He knew that he'd have to move his family out of England for awhile, for there was no doubt in his mind that Sharpie would try to track him down as soon as he could be spared to return to England. By that time, Obadiah intended to be long gone with his family. They'd hide for a few years until the war ended or Sharpe forgot about him. With any luck, Sharpe would be killed in some battle and never return to England.

The time aboard ship passed fairly quickly, even though there wasn't much for Obadiah to do but eat, sleep, and walk the deck. Nevertheless, the time couldn't pass quickly enough for him. It had been so long since he'd been with Anna and the closer he got to home, the more eager he became to see his family. Each day he asked one of the ship's officers about how many miles they'd travelled that day so he could know how many more miles they had left to travel.

He kept mostly to himself, not much wanting to discuss his business with others aboard, spending more time than usual sleeping and resting. On some days, he watched the sailors go about their work, glad that he'd joined the army, rather than the navy. There wasn't much opportunity to steal aboard a ship, and no way to bugger off if things went bad. Being a pirate might not be as bad as being in the navy, but, still, the thought of being at sea for months on end, year after year, trapped on a cramped, leaky tub, did not appeal to him at all.

For the first several days aboard ship, Obadiah's thoughts often turned to Maria, wondering how her voyage was going and thinking about the child she carried. Though he knew she was a good woman and would properly take good care of their child, she would never even begin to compare to Anna in his estimation.

Anna was the only woman who had ever freely chosen to be with him. She loved him just as he was and had proudly stood by his side all these years. Maria, on the other hand, though they had ended up getting along well together and she had become accustomed to being with him, had not come to him of her own choice, nor did she love him. Still, she had helped him to escape and she had made the free choice to care for their child, so he would always be grateful to her for that. Nevertheless, Anna was the one who possessed his heart and, as the voyage progressed, his thoughts centred more on her as thoughts of Maria faded into the background, just as the Portuguese coast had days earlier.

Obadiah was standing on deck early one morning a couple of weeks later when the first faint sight of the English coastline came into view. Pulling Anna's portrait from his pocket, he muttered to it softly, "I'm almost home, Anna. Won't be long now."

No sooner had the mooring ropes secured the ship to the dock some time later, than Obadiah stood impatiently waiting to disembark with his belongings. A few minutes later, he was the first one down the gangplank, glad to be free of the ship. He was finally on the last leg of his journey back home.

His first stop was at a pub to have the first decent meal he'd had since leaving Portugal. He'd not eaten much while at sea, as the rolling decks of the small ship had done nothing to encourage his appetite. His next stop, after eating his fill and packing up the leftovers to take with him to eat on the road, was to find somewhere to buy a horse. It would be much quicker to travel on his own and he knew he'd need a horse, in any instance.

Because it was still early in the day, Obadiah set off for home as soon as he'd bought the horse. He'd go as far as he could today, then stop to rest for a few hours before going the rest of the way.

It was a cold ride, but Obadiah didn't mind, as he'd dressed himself warmly. His thoughts of his reunion with his family had also served to distract him from being overly affected by the chilly ride. As the miles passed behind him, his mind went over the events of the last year. For the most part, it had been a great success, considering that he'd been able to steal with impunity, both when still with the army and to an even greater extent after taking over the deserter army. Unexpectedly getting Pot au Feu's booty as well had just been icing on the cake.

And, while it hadn't been something he'd planned and was something he could never share with Anna, Obadiah was happy to know that he would become a father again in the coming year. His only regret was that he'd not ever know the child, but that was the price he willingly paid for his wife's continued happiness.

He was less happy with having had to desert the army and the fact that he'd have to take his family into hiding to avoid Richard Sharpe's wrath, but that was over and done with now, and Obadiah saw no need in dwelling on it. He'd escaped with his life and a whole lot of gold and that was all that mattered in the end.

After several hours of travelling, he reluctantly stopped for the night about an hour after the sun had gone down. Not only was he exhausted, but the already cold temperatures had dropped quickly after sunset and Obadiah thought it best if the horse was stabled within shelter overnight.

He settled down comfortably for the night in a rented room at a roadside inn, knowing that the next time he went to sleep, he'd have his wife in bed with him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Anna Hakeswill was feeling cranky when she got out of bed the next morning. Baby Catherine had awakened her several times during the night, crying from teething discomfort. This had been going on for a few days, so Anna was feeling exhausted from the lack of sufficient rest. She would try to get a nap later in the day when her aunt and Bridget would look after the baby girl for a few hours.

Fortunately, there wasn't that much she needed to do today. The children would have their lessons and chores to keep them busy, while she and her aunt intended to spend the day quietly as they attended to the family's mending. Considering how fast all the children were growing, this mending session would also be a prelude to making all new clothes for them. Some of Barry's things could be cut down and remade for Will, but Anna knew that some of the clothing would no doubt end up as cleaning rags.

Now that Christmas was well past, life in the Hakeswill household had settled into its normal, humdrum routine. Though she functioned rather well with the predictability of her days, it also left her quite a bit of time to brood about Obadiah. A new letter from him had come just the day before, with him telling her that he'd be coming home soon; that he should be boarding a ship around the first of the year. It was nearly February now, with no sign of him, so she peevishly wondered to herself what was keeping him.

She was grateful for her aunt and her four children, because she didn't know how she could have borne being away from her husband for over a year if she'd had to be alone.

It troubled her greatly that he'd deserted from the army, because she knew quite well what would happen to him if he happened to be caught before he could leave Spain. It was precisely for this reason that she became more and more apprehensive as the time continued to roll by with no further word from Obadiah. She didn't quite know how she would manage to go on if she were to lose her husband.

"You're looking rather glum," Aunt Catherine observed as she joined Anna n the sitting room not long after breakfast. "What's troubling you, dear?"

"I'm thinking about Obadiah's latest letter," she said, frowning. "He said he'd be leaving Spain right after Christmas and here it is almost February and there's no sign of him."

"You must be patient, dear," Catherine told her. "You know quite well that voyages aboard ship vary greatly depending on the weather. He'll be home; you just have to give it time."

"I'm worried that he might have been captured by the army and executed for desertion," she admitted. Her lip trembling slightly," she added, "Oh, Aunt Catherine, I don't know if I could go on without him."

"You could and you would," the older woman said firmly. "You have four young children to think about and that is what Obadiah would want you to do." Patting her niece on the shoulder, she added in a softer tone, "But I don't think you should be borrowing trouble. Obadiah has shown time and time again that he is quite capable of looking out for himself."

"You're probably right," Anna acknowledged. "But I can't help but worry."

"I know I'm right," the other woman shot back. "Everything will turn out all right. You'll see."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Obadiah rose early, when the sun was barely up, eager to be on his way. After having a hearty breakfast, he loaded up his horse and was gone. The temperature had moderated somewhat, so he wasn't uncomfortably cold out in the open air. Rather, he felt invigorated as he travelled the final leg of his journey, his anticipation building like a child waiting for Christmas morning.

He stopped for a moment as he crossed into Surrey, just to take in the familiar sights of home. As he spurred the horse on again, he muttered, "I'm almost home, Anna."

When he reached the gate to the Perkins estate, Obadiah urged the horse into a fast canter as he directed it to the lane that led to Throckmorton Cottage. As he rounded the corner and saw his home standing like a beacon at the top of the hill, he slowed the horse to a trot, drinking in every detail.

No one was outside as Obadiah rode up the gravel lane to the house. He dismounted quietly, then tied the horse to a nearby tree, with the thought in mind that Barry would stable him after a while.

Looking around at the peaceful scene, he sighed in contented satisfaction, gladdened by the sight of his home.

A moment later, Barry Hakeswill came around from behind the house, lost in his own thoughts, at first not noticing his father standing there. He looked up as the horse snorted, seeing Obadiah for the first time.

"Da!" he cried out, rushing over to Obadiah. "When did you get home?"

"Just now, boy," Obadiah replied, looking fondly at his oldest child. "Sight for sore eyes, you are. Look at how much you've grown, too. I ain't that much taller than you now. You ain't so much of a boy no more, are you, eh?"

"I did what you told me while you were gone," Barry announced proudly. "You should see how well I shoot a pistol now."

"I knows you did a good job, son," Obadiah said, twitching, as he patted his son on the shoulder. "I never doubted that you would." After a moment, he added, "Where's your mother, eh? I wants to surprise her."

"She's been missin' you something fierce, she has," Barry reported. "She don't talk about it much, but I can tell." Thinking for a moment, he added, "Last time I saw her, she was with Aunt Catherine in the sitting room. Will and Bridget were there with them, too, doin' their lessons."

"Good," Obadiah said, the wheels turning in his mind. "What I wants you to do is go in there and tell her is that somebody is here to visit and that you don't know who it is. If she tells you to come back out here to get a name, you tell her I wouldn't give you no name. That should bring her out here right quick, see?"

"Oh, I see!" Barry said. "She'll be so surprised."

"Go on now, boy," Obadiah urged, twitching again. "I ain't seen your mother in over a year, so the sooner, the better."

"I'll be right back," Barry promised, hurrying off eagerly to get his mother.

"I'll be right here," his father said, chuckling at his son's enthusiasm.

Barry opened the front door before tramping loudly into the house. "Moooother!" he bellowed, wanting to make sure he got her attention. "There's somebody out front to see you!"

"Don't shout, Barry, I'm not deaf, you know," Anna scolded as he stomped into the sitting room. "And don't run in the house."

"Sorry, Mother," he apologized.

"You said there was someone to see me?" she prompted him. "Who is it?"

"I don't know, Mother," Barry replied, shrugging. "But he said it was important."

"For heaven's sake," she grumbled, getting up. "I hope it isn't some peddler wanting to sell me something." Looking sharply at Barry, she demanded, "Was he driving a wagon?"

"No, just a horse," her son answered.

Turning to her aunt, she said, "I suppose I'd better see what the man wants. I shouldn't be more than a few minutes or so."

Anna followed her son to the front door, still grumbling.

"He's over here, Mother," Barry said, walking to where his father stood looking expectantly at the door.

Anna stopped dead in her tracks when she looked up to see Obadiah in front of her, not quite believing her eyes at first. "Oh, my," she managed to squeak out as tears of joy began to fall from her eyes.

"I'm home, Anna," he said quietly, twitching slightly. "Kept my promise to you, I did."

Picking up the hem of her gown, she rushed over to Obadiah, throwing herself into his waiting arms. "I can hardly believe you are home. I've missed you so much, Obadiah!"

Obadiah leaned down and kissed her thoroughly, as if his life depended on it, pulling her tight into his arms.

"Every night I was away from you, I dreamed of this moment," he said raggedly into her ear, as his hand came up to caress her cheek. "Kept your portrait in my pocket all this time to keep me company and I looked at it whenever I missed you."

"As did I," Anna whispered as she rained small kisses all over his face. "The nights were so long and lonely without you."

"I can't wait to get you upstairs, missy," he growled, kissing her neck. "I've been wanting you for so long."

"If we were alone, I'd have dragged you up there myself," she purred, giving him a seductive look that promised a good night ahead for the both of them. "Tonight, my love."

At that moment Bridget and Will ran out of the house, followed by Aunt Catherine at a slower pace, holding the baby.

"Da! Da!" they both cried in unison, running up to latch on to him with their hugs.

Reluctantly letting go of Anna, Obadiah opened his arms to accept the hugs of his two middle children. "Look at the two of you. Grown like weeds, you have. I hardly recognized either of you, 'cos you both done got so big. What has your mama been feeding you, eh?"

"Welcome home, Obadiah," Aunt Catherine said warmly as she walked over to join the happy reunion.

Reaching out to take her youngest daughter from her aunt, Anna presented baby Catherine to her father. "Meet your daughter, Obadiah. Her name is Catherine."

Gently taking the infant from Anna, Obadiah held her close and spoke softly to her. "I'm your Da, little girl. Sorry I ain't seen you 'fore now, but it couldn't be helped. Pretty as your Mama, you are."

The baby girl looked up solemnly at this stranger who was her father, reaching up to grab his nose with her chubby little fist.

Laughing softly, Obadiah said, "I think I'm going to call you Katie. Suits you, it does." He gave her a kiss on the cheek as she trustingly snuggled close to him.

Anna took Katie back after she began to whimper. "It's past her naptime," she apologized. "I'd best put her down for awhile."

Stooping to pick up his bags, Obadiah followed Anna into the house, with the rest of the family trailing behind. He was home at last.


	55. At Home

A short time later, Obadiah Hakeswill sat at the head of the dinner table with his entire family in front of him. Looking at all the happy faces as he began to eat, he was reminded yet again of why he'd volunteered for active duty and gone to Spain the first place. It had all been worth it and he'd do it again in a minute if need be. Fortunately, that wouldn't be at all likely, considering the amount of loot he'd returned with. It had been a busy and productive year - in more ways than one.

"This is probably the best meal I've had in a long time," Obadiah pronounced as he took his first bite of the food. "I missed Mrs Harris' cooking when I was away, I did."

"Da?" Bridget said quietly, looking up at her father with an expectant face.

"What is it, little flower," he said, using the pet name he'd called her since she was a baby.

"Did you have a good Christmas dinner in Spain?" the girl asked. "The one Mrs Harris made for us was ever so good and the only thing that would have made it even better would have been having you with us."

Twitching noticeably as he remembered being captured by Richard Sharpe on that day and spending the rest of Christmas locked up in a cell, he turned away for a moment before answering. "No, I didn't have nothing special. But I'm glad you and your brothers did."

"Why didn't you have a Christmas dinner," she asked, frowning in confusion.

"'Cos I was busy getting ready to come back home, that's why." he answered, twitching again.

"I told Mama that we ought to have another Christmas dinner, just for you," Bridget said seriously. "I even saved my Christmas gift for you and everything."

Gazing at his older daughter with affection, he said, "I'd like that. But you didn't have to get me nothin' for Christmas. Just bein' here with all of you is present enough for me."

Anna knew something was wrong by the way Obadiah turned away before answering Bridget and by the look on his face. And, over the years, she'd noted that his twitching happened more often than not when he was under stress. She made a note to ask him about it later, once they had a chance to be alone.

"Da?" Barry chimed in. "I bet you got to see a lot of battles while you were gone, eh? How many of them Frenchies did you kill, do you think?"

"Killed a bunch of 'em, that I did," Obadiah answered briefly, twitching again.

"Why were you wearing regular clothes when you came home, Da?" Will asked pointedly. "You used to always wear your sergeant's uniform when you came home from recruiting."

"Now, children!" Anna said reprovingly before Obadiah could reply. "Your father has only just arrived home and he's tired from his long journey. Let him eat his meal in peace, would you, please? You will have plenty of time to ask him about Spain later."

Obadiah gave his wife a grateful look, both for not telling them about his desertion and, secondly, for deflecting the awkward questions. At some point they would need to be told an abbreviated version of why he left the army, but now was not the time. He reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze, again reminded why he loved her so much. Always looking out for him, she was.

At the conclusion of the meal, he gave Anna a meaningful look, then announced, "I needs to go upstairs and unpack my things and have a bit of a lie-down, 'cos I'm worn out. The rest of you needs to stay down here with your Aunt Catherine for awhile. I'll be back downstairs later on and see you then."

"I believe I'll give you a hand," Anna said, gracefully rising from the table. "You children need to remain downstairs until we return, as your father needs his rest."

"I'll keep them busy," Aunt Catherine promised, as she smiled at Anna, knowing full well what they were going to do.

Obadiah cackled appreciatively as they left the room, trying not to look obvious as they hastened up the stairs.

No sooner had the bedroom door closed behind them than Obadiah reached out for Anna and growled, "Come here, missy. I've been wantin' to do this since I first laid eyes on you."

"So have I," she replied in a low seductive voice, batting her eyes in enticing encouragement as she opened her arms to him. "It's been so hard, having to go an entire year without."

Obadiah did not reply, considering that he'd not gone that long without sexual release. Still, it had been hard enough for him enduring the time of involuntary celibacy while on board ship and he knew there wouldn't have been any way he'd have been able to go as long as she had and still keep any semblance of sanity.

Instead, he bent to kiss her, as he single-mindedly stripped off her clothing in none too gentle of a fashion, eager to make their reunion complete.

Quite some time later as they were comfortably reclining side by side in bed together, Anna turned to Obadiah and hesitantly said, "You never did tell me why you deserted the army. I've been worrying about it for months." After a pause, she asked, "Just what happened?"

Obadiah was silent for several long moments, considering his words carefully. Anna deserved an answer, especially after all the anguish she'd gone through during the last few months. But he certainly couldn't tell her that Richard Sharpe had interrupted him in the middle of trying to rape his wife. He'd also killed Lieutenant Price in front of witnesses; that alone was reason enough for him to have to desert without even bringing the business about Sharpie's wife into it.

"I done killed an officer," he finally said, twitching. "One of ours, not a Froggy."

"Why did you do that, Obadiah?" Anna asked in complete confusion.

"Didn't mean to, missy," he lied smoothly. 'It was in the middle of the battle in Badajoz and shots were flyin' everywhere. This officer was in the shadows and caught the bullet I meant for someone else, see?"

"Surely, they had to see it was an accident," Anna protested. "Things like that are bound to happen in wartime."

"The man was one of Sharpie's lackeys," her husband explained simply. "Sharpie was convinced I did it on purpose to spite him and there wasn't no way he was going to see no different."

"Ah, I see now," Anna acknowledged, frowning. "He tried to get you killed several times when we were in India, so I'm not surprised he tried another way to get rid of you. It's too bad you had to run into that man again in Spain."

"That it was, missy," he agreed. After a moment, he added, "But in some ways, it turned out better for me after I buggered off from Badajoz. I managed to get away with my loot in the confusion after the battle, see? Got away from Sharpie, like I always do. And I ended up being able to steal much more after I left, too."

"I know you're a survivor," she said with a wan smile, leaning over to kiss his bony cheek. "But I couldn't help but worry about it. I spent many long hours praying for you, you know."

"Your prayers probably helped me to escape more 'n anything else, they did," he replied, kissing her back, his hands beginning to roam again.

"Why didn't you come home right then, after you first left the army?" she asked, still curious.

"I went to Spain to make me a good bit of money for you and the little 'uns," he explained "I had a fair amount, but not nearly as much as I needed to get. And I stayed 'cos that was the time the army might have put some effort into lookin' for me. They'd likely would have sent word to the outposts along the coast to be watching out for me, had I tried to find me a ship home then."

"I understand," she said softly, though she was still unclear about a few things. "So, how did you end up making more money than you were able to do stealing in the army?"

"Well, you see, I'd already done heard of a bunch of deserters from all the armies: English, Froggies, Spanish, and Portuguese, who had banded together to make up their own deserter army," he began. "So, after I'd buggered off from Badajoz, I thought I'd go looking for them and join up, 'cos I knew I could steal openly if I was with them."

"I see," Anna said slowly, encouraging him to continue.

"I met up with a Froggy sergeant, while I was hunting down them deserters, so we teamed up," he continued. "He and I got along good, 'cos we had a lot of the same ideas about things."

"I take it he was a deserter, too," Anna guessed. "He'd have to be if he was roaming around Spain on his own."

"That's right, missy," Obadiah responded, now warming up to his story. "When the Froggy and I found the deserter band, it was in a sorry state. There was too many of them and they didn't have enough provisions for them to get by, let alone have any extra from stealing. They didn't have no leadership, so's they didn't know how to go about putting them men to work in the most useful way, see?"

"Go on," she urged.

"Me and Pot au Feu - that's was the Froggy was called - knew we could do better, so's we took over the deserter band," he continued. "Then whipped 'em into shape so's we could be our own army of sorts. It wasn't hard to take over, neither, 'cos the corporal who had been in charge, didn't want to do it no more."

"Oh, my."

"It worked out real well for quite awhile," he said. "We were able to make good money stealing, mostly by sneaking into towns and army camps at night, then makin' off with whatever we could find that was worth anything."

Wanting to spare Anna's sensibilities, he left out the parts about raiding towns during daylight hours, robbing people at gunpoint, acting as highwaymen, and the people they'd had to kill along the way.

Moving right along, he said, "We eventually ended up taking over a deserted convent and using it as our headquarters. We stayed there for a few months, which worked out well. Pot au Feu was a chef in the French army, so's I got to eat much better than I did when I was still with the army."

Rolling Anna over onto her back, he growled, 'Let's not talk no more for right now, 'cos I needs to have you again. There's more I needs to tell you, but it can wait until we go back downstairs 'cos your aunt needs to hear it, too."

"All right, Obadiah," Anna murmured as reached for him again.

Some time later, Obadiah and Anna went back downstairs, both looking more relaxed and contented than when they'd gone upstairs earlier.

As they entered the front room, they found Aunt Catherine knitting as she listened to Bridget playing the pianoforte. The two Hakeswill boys were playing outside out front, Obadiah noticed as he looked out the window. Baby Katie was on the couch next to her great-aunt, gurgling with delight to hear the music.

Finishing the piece about a minute later, Bridget turned to see that her parents had entered the room.

"I can tell you've been practicing a lot since I've been gone," Obadiah told her as she rose from the bench. "You sound real good, you do."

"Thank you, Da," Bridget said, blushing at her father's praise. "Aunt Catherine says that I am progressing well."

"Bridget has been quite diligent with her practicing," Catherine affirmed. "I believe she has a true talent for music."

A moment later, Katie began to whimper loudly in discomfort.

After leaning over to touch the baby's bottom, Catherine said, "Somebody needs to be changed."

"I'll do it, Mama," Bridget volunteered eagerly before Anna could get up.

"That's a good girl," Obadiah said. "I'm glad you're helpful with your sister."

"Thank you, dear," Anna told Bridget warmly. "After you're done, would you please take her upstairs and put her down for a short nap and stay with her while she sleeps? Your father and I need to have a private conversation with Aunt Catherine. I don't expect we'll be too long,"

"All right, Mama," Bridget said agreeably as she gingerly picked up her wet baby sister and carried her out of the room.

Closing the door to the sitting room after they were gone, Obadiah turned back to the women and told Catherine, "There's something I need to discuss with you both. I've already done told Anna part of what went on when I was in Spain; about how and why I deserted from the army, but not all the story yet."

"Why don't you tell Aunt Catherine what you told me first, then tell us the rest together," Anna suggested. "It might make better sense to her that way."

"All right," he said, then gave Catherine a shorter version of what he'd told Anna earlier. Listening carefully, the older woman instinctively knew there was something more to the story he wasn't telling them, but she let it go for now, hoping that what he was about to tell the both of them would clear it up.

"After we set up our base at the old convent, we kept on stealing from both the English and Froggy armies," Obadiah said, starting the next part of the story. "Word got around and we ended up with more men joining us, 'cos nearly anyone would rather fight for themselves, rather than fighting for some high minded notions of King and country and getting nothing out of the deal for themselves, see?"

"I wouldn't doubt that you're right," Catherine acknowledged briefly.

"'Course, neither army was going to stand for that, 'cos just the existence of us was playing hell with their ideas of discipline," he continued. "They was losing men right and left 'cos why would anyone want to slog through the mud for a just a few pence a day when they could be making much more stealing and eating better in the bargain as well."

"They ignored us for awhile, 'cos they was too busy fighting each other to worry much about us," he went on. "But eventually, they decided to finally put a stop to us, and attacked on Christmas morning, when they rightly figured our guard would be down celebrating the holiday."

Catherine and Anna exchanged worried glances, but did not otherwise comment, waiting for him to finish his story.

"As luck would have it, it was ol' Sharpie leading the attack, 'cos that man has to have his nose into everything that happens," Obadiah said. "I was lucky that during the confusion of the attack, I was able to sneak out of the convent and grab a horse. But as I was leaving the town, I ran right into Sharpie's wife coming in and she pulled a pistol on me, 'cos she didn't like me no more 'n her husband did. I ended up havin' to kill her to get away."

"Oh, Obadiah!" Anna exclaimed, horrified at the thought that her husband had killed a woman.

"You have to remember that Sharpie's wife knew how to use that pistol," he told her, twitching. "She was a leader of the partisans who went gallivantin' all over the countryside knifing Froggy officers to death instead of caring for that brat she done bore Sharpie, like a good mother ought to do. Sure as my name is Obadiah Hakeswill, she'd have killed me without battin' an eye had I not killed her first."

"I understand," Anna said. "But it's still a shame."

Obadiah didn't think it was such a shame, but he kept his opinion to himself. Moving right along, he said, "No sooner than I shot her than I got caught and dragged back to the convent. The time it took for that allowed them buggers to catch up to me."

"Oh, dear," Anna exclaimed, exchanging another worried look with her aunt.

"It was a good thing the Froggies picked that time to come to threaten to take the town away from Sharpie and his men," Obadiah continued, entirely unruffled. ""Cos I think Sharpie might have had me shot that same day had the Froggies not come to town. He was gone several days fightin' 'em and while he was gone, I managed to escape, steal a horse, and head straight for the coast, where I got on a ship and came home."

"Do you think Sharpe followed you home?" Anna asked worriedly, twisting her handkerchief in her lap.

"I don't think so, missy," Obadiah said thoughtfully. "Ol' Nosey wouldn't let Sharpie go chasin' after just one man for personal revenge, 'cos the army is still up to their necks in Froggies and that's much more important to him than catching just one deserter."

"Well, I'm thankful for that, at least," she said. "But I can't imagine he's just going to forget about the fact you killed his wife, regardless of the circumstances."

"You're right, missy," he admitted. "Sharpie ain't going to forget about it. As soon as he gets the chance to come to England, he's going to come lookin' for me. There ain't no doubt of that. It may be a few months, but he'll come." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "And that's what I wanted to talk to you both about."

"Go on," Anna said nervously, twisting her handkerchief again.

"I've decided that we're going to have to bugger off somewhere for awhile," Obadiah announced. "Hide somewhere 'til Sharpie moves on with his life. Knowin' him, it won't be long 'fore he finds himself another woman. And, who knows, he might end up getting himself killed in battle, too."

"What about the army wanting you for desertion?" she asked. "Won't they come looking for you here?"

"The army ain't got time to hunt down every deserter," Obadiah told her confidently. "If they did that, they'd not have time to fight the French. And this war can't last forever. Give it a year or two, and it'll be all over and, by then, the army will be sending a lot of men home, anyway, so's they don't have to pay them all no more."

"Where can we go where it will be safe?" she asked.

Aunt Catherine, who had been listening silently all this time, spoke up. "If I might offer a suggestion, I would think you would be safe in Ireland."

"Good idea," Obadiah agreed, twitching slightly. "I was thinking pretty much the same thing. We could go to either Dublin or Belfast, where there's enough people so's we wouldn't stand out so much. And 'cos they ain't none too fond of the English in Ireland, it'll help that I'm a deserter there. We should do fine in Ireland."

"I won't mind going there," Anna said quietly. "I visited Ireland as a child and it's a lovely country. I'm quite sure the children will love it there."

"And it's close enough that we can exchange regular letters," Aunt Catherine said. "Of course, you'll have to use a false name when you write in case someone gets the bright idea to check my mail."

"Good thinking," Obadiah said. "Can't be too careful."

"I'll also keep my ears open while you're gone," Catherine said. "Some of my friends have male relatives in the army and you know how gossip travels. If I hear anything you need to know, I'll certainly pass it on."

"Good," Obadiah said, pleased with how well the women were taking it. "It's settled then. We'll leave at the end of the week, which will give us time to gather what we needs to take with us."

"Now, to tell the children," Anna said, sighing, not looking forward to the task at all.


	56. Going Into Hiding

Obadiah and Anna waited until after the evening meal to break the news of their impending departure to the children. As the entire family gathered in the sitting room after dinner, Obadiah told the children, "Sit down and get comfortable, 'cos I got something I needs to tell you."

Looking at one another in bewilderment, the three oldest Hakeswill offspring obeyed and took seats near the fireplace, then waited quietly to hear what their father had to say.

After Anna and Catherine had settled themselves on the couch, with baby Katie in between them, Obadiah cleared his throat and began talking.

"Will, here, done asked me why I wasn't wearing my sergeant's uniform when I first came home," he began, twitching as he indicated his youngest son. "The reason is that I ain't in the army no more."

"Why not, Da?" Barry asked, blinking in confusion.

"Well, you see, when I went to Spain, I ended up serving under this bad officer who don't like your Da," Obadiah explained carefully. "Funny thing is, that I'm the one what recruited him into the army in the first place twenty years ago, but he never was grateful for all I had done for him. The bugger was an officer's pet and ended up cheating to become an officer himself, 'cos normally it's only them born to it who gets to be officers."

Twitching again, he continued, "What happened was that this bad officer blamed me for something I didn't do, so's he could get rid of me for once and for all. Man wanted to kill me, he did."

"I'd kill _him_ if he ever came here," Barry declared hotly. "I won't let no one hurt my Da!"

Looking at his son with genuine affection, touched by his resolute loyalty, Obadiah said, "I knows you would, but Sharpie's a trained killer and I'd not put you in such a position." Looking seriously at the children again, he cleared his throat and continued, "And this brings me to what I have to tell you next."

Sitting down on the floor near the three children, he said, "The army would have executed me for what he blamed me for, so I had to run away so's I could come home to you. The army calls that desertion, which on top of what Sharpie blamed me for, also calls for a punishment of execution." After a pause to note the horrified expressions on their faces, he quickly continued, "I'm not worried about the army coming to look for me 'cos lots of soldiers desert and the army ain't got no time to be hunting down each and every one of us. They got better things to do."

The children, who had looked terrified at what their father had first told them, visibly relaxed when he went on to say that it would be unlikely that the army would come looking for him.

"But that don't mean Sharpie won't come looking for me, sad to say," Obadiah admitted. "He won't be able to come right away, but I'd imagine that in the next few months or so, he'll be able to take a trip to England and he'll come after me then, see?"

"How does he know where we live?" Barry asked, perplexed.

"He don't," Obadiah said, twitching briefly. "But it wouldn't be all that hard for him to find out. The army still has me living at the gatehouse, but it wouldn't be hard for him to find this place from there. So that's why I've decided that we're all going to move away 'til things blow over. If Sharpie ain't able to find me easily, he'll eventually give up and forget about it."

"Move?" Bridget said, frowning. She didn't like the sound of that one bit.

"Where would we go?" Barry put in, not at all happy with the idea, either.

"We're going to Belfast, in Ireland," he replied firmly, his tone of voice final. "It's a good place, 'cos the Irish don't like the English army, so they'd not give us up to them."

"How long will we be staying there," Barry asked anxiously. "We're not moving for good, are we?"

"No, it ain't for good," Obadiah said. "We'll just be hiding out 'til Sharpie forgets about it. The war can't go on too much longer, no more 'n a year or two, then everyone will be forgettin' about it and moving on with their lives. We'll come home then and Aunt Catherine will have the house ready and waiting for us to move back in."

"She's not coming with us?" Bridget asked in astonishment.

"No, dear," Catherine chimed in. "I'll be perfectly safe here with the servants."

'I'll miss you," the girl said fervently. "It won't be the same without you."

"And I'll miss you as well," her aunt said. "But I'll be able to tell more easily when it's safe for you to return and I'll write a letter to your parents then to advise them."

"When are we going to leave?" Barry asked.

"We'll leave at the end of the week," his father said. "Gives us a few days to pack what we needs to take with us. You can each take a few of your favourite things, but you can't take everything. Your aunt will look after whatever you leaves behind."

Sidling over to Anna, Bridget whispered to her, "Will we still be able to give Da the Christmas dinner he missed on Christmas before we leave?"

"I don't see why not," Anna agreed. "I think it's a fine idea. I'll tell Mrs Harris to start preparing for it."

Obadiah gave the two a quizzical look, wondering what they were whispering about.

Catching her husband's expression, Anna said, "Just a bit of girl talk, love. Nothing to be concerned about."

"There's another thing I need to tell you," Obadiah continued, after Bridget returned to her seat. "You can't tell no one that we're leaving or where we're going. It's for your own safety, 'cos Sharpie might go round the village to see if he can find out where we've gone. It has to be our secret. Only a fool tells everything he knows, eh?"

"We won't," the three said, nearly in unison. They could tell from the tone of their father's voice that he was deadly serious.

After Obadiah's big announcement, the two boys went up to their rooms to sort out the things they wanted to bring along, while Bridget followed her mother into the kitchen as she consulted with Mrs Harris about the second, belated Christmas meal to come. She wanted to make sure the cook would make everything they had before, so that her father could pretend that it was actually Christmas day.

Obadiah remained in the sitting room with Catherine, both enjoying some brandy as they relaxed together.

Catherine noticed that he was thinner than when he'd left a year ago and that his face was more careworn. The year in Spain had apparently not been an easy time for him.

"Are you absolutely certain you need to take the family and go into hiding?" Catherine asked Obadiah once Anna was out of earshot. "Is there anything you're not telling us?"

"Can't put nothin' past you, can I?" Obadiah said, cackling appreciatively at her astuteness. "But what more it is ain't nothing fit for the ears of ladies, and it don't make what would happen to me any worse."

"I suppose I'll have to take your word for it, then," Catherine said dryly. "Just as long as you take good care of Anna and the children, I don't care what you've done."

"You know I'll take good care of them," he said quietly, twitching. "They are my life. Whatever good is in me, it's because of them, see? If I had to, I'd give my life for them, but they'll be better off if I don't die, so's I'm going to do all I can to make sure that don't happen."

Reaching over to pat his hand, she said, "I know you will, Obadiah. You've been good for Anna and I've seen over the years what a good father you are."

"I try my best," he said modestly. "I just do what I wish someone had done for me when I was a little 'un, and I try to treat Anna as I wish someone had treated my mother when I was growin' up."

"You've succeeded magnificently, in my opinion," she told him sincerely. "And I will miss all of you when you are in Ireland. Let us just hope that it is not too long. The house will be frightfully lonely with just me here."

"We'll miss you, too," he said. "If Anna writes to you as much as she did to me when I was gone, you'll have plenty to read. More, no doubt, 'cos it don't take as long for letters to go back and forth from here to Ireland. But we'll make the best of it. It will be good for the little 'uns to travel a bit and see new places, and Anna and I can be happy anywhere as long as we're together."

"I expect so," Catherine said, smiling. "But I will be counting the days until all of you return here to your real home."

"Me, too," he agreed, twitching briefly.

Later that night in bed, Anna snuggled close to Obadiah after their time of intimacy. Now that he'd returned to her arms and her bed, everything was right in Anna's world.

"I think the children took your news as well as could be expected," Anna said noncommittally. "Of course, they would rather stay home, but they will adjust."

"It can't be helped," Obadiah said, a touch of irritation in his voice. "I don't want to leave here neither, but it has to be done."

"They'll change their tunes once we are on our way, especially after we board ship," Anna predicted. "I don't think Barry or Bridget remember much about the trip back home from India, and it will be Will's first time at sea. It will be just long enough so that it will be a grand adventure for them and not grow tiresome."

"I hope you're right," he said sourly. "We don't need for them to be sulky, 'cos we'll have plenty of other things to be dealing with."

"They'll adjust quickly," she replied. "Children are quite resilient. They'll be seeing new things and that should keep them from getting bored or sulky."

"I hope you're right," he said, yawning loudly.

"It will all work out fine, you'll see," she said, catching the yawn. "Just as long as we're all together, it doesn't matter where we live." Yawning again, she said, "Let's get us some rest, as we have a busy time ahead of us."

Leaning over to give her a kiss, Obadiah asked, "Sure you don't want to have another go 'fore we go to sleep, eh? I'm quite up to it, see?

"I see a year away hasn't changed you at all," she said, laughing. "All right, one more time, then we really must get some sleep."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Four days later, the Hakeswill family was packed up and ready to set off on their voyage to Belfast. Two days previously, the family had enjoyed a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, which equally pleased both Obadiah and Bridget, whose idea it was in the first place. It was bittersweet for Catherine, as she knew that this was the last banquet she would have with her family for the foreseeable future.

The morning of the departure, Catherine watched from the doorway as Obadiah and the stagecoach driver loaded up the Hakeswills' belongings onto the coach. Though they'd not yet departed, she was missing them already. It would just be her and the servants rattling around in the house for who knew how long.

As the men worked, Anna was rushing around the house to make sure they'd not forgotten anything and also checking to make sure the children were ready to go. After changing baby Katie one last time, she looked all through the house once more before emerging from the front door.

"I suppose this is it." Catherine said as her niece joined her. "It's going to be so quiet around here. I'm going to miss all of you so much. You've been like a daughter to me these last few years, Anna."

"And you've been a mother to me and a grandmother to the children," the younger woman said as tears formed in her eyes. "Obadiah and I are so grateful for all you've done for us over the years."

"You both have given me the family I always wished for, as well," Catherine said, leaning forward to hug her niece. "Promise me that you'll write regularly."

"I will write with our new address as soon as we arrive and I find out what it is," she promised. "You can depend on me to be a good correspondent. I'll keep you abreast of what the children are doing. I'm sure Bridget will want to write as well."

"I'll be looking forward to that," her aunt said wistfully, squeezing Anna's arm again.

At that moment, Obadiah came up to the two women. "We've done finished loading. Time to go, missy."

Kissing Anna one last time on the cheek, Catherine said, "Take care of yourself and keep in touch."

Giving her aunt one last look, she said, "And you do the same."

After Obadiah had helped her up into the coach, he turned to his three older children, who were milling around nearby. "Say your goodbyes to your Aunt Catherine, then hop into the coach. Don't take too long now, 'cos we got a long ways to go today."

Each child dutifully queued up to hug and exchange a few last words with their great-aunt. "Be good and mind your parents when you're in Ireland," Catherine told them. "I'll be waiting here when you return, eager to hear of all your new adventures."

Bridget lingered for a moment after her brothers had said their goodbyes and climbed into the coach.

"Are you sure you can't come with us?" the girl said anxiously. "I don't want to leave you here all by yourself."

"I'll be fine, dear," her aunt assured her. "But whenever I play the pianoforte, I will think of you."

"Please play it every day, then, if you would," Bridget urged.

"I'll be happy to."

"Time to go, little flower," Obadiah said quietly from behind her.

After throwing herself into Catherine's arms for a lingering hug, she turned bravely to her father. "I'm ready, Da."

Obadiah lifted the little girl into the coach before turned to say his own goodbyes.

"Take care of them, Obadiah," Catherine said, taking his hands. "Bring them home safely to me as soon as you can."

"You knows that I will," he assured her. "Use that horse however you want and go ahead and sell him if you needs the money. I can always buy another one once we get back home."

"I will," she said. "And thank you for the gold you gave me. It will help quite a bit."

"It ain't all that much," he said, twitching. "But between that and the horse, you should get along all right while we're gone."

"I'm sure I will." Leaning forward, she leaned up to give Obadiah a quick hug before he climbed up into the coach to join his family.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Obadiah had decided that they would depart for Ireland from Liverpool, which was over two hundred miles from their home in Surrey. The roads they would have to travel to reach this port were not the ones he had used during his years of recruiting, so the area was largely unfamiliar to him.

Throughout the journey to Liverpool, Obadiah remained at a heightened level of alertness, watching out for any army patrols along the way. He knew the chances were remote that they'd run into one and the chances of any such patrols containing men who could both identify him and also know that he was a deserter were even more remote. Still, he'd not survived all these years by being careless and taking things for granted,

However, the trip to the coast turned out to be uneventful; four and a half days with little to do. Nevertheless, Obadiah made good use of the time, listening as the children filled him in on what they'd done during the year of his absence. Of course, they demanded an accounting of his time away, which he provided in a highly edited form. Anna didn't say much, but just basked in the glow of the family togetherness she'd been missing for the last year, while her hands were busy with knitting and crocheting.

The family spent each night at roadside inns of varying quality, resuming their journey early each morning. With each passing day, little Katie became a bit more peevish and whiny, so that by the time they rolled into Liverpool early one afternoon, everyone was glad to see the stagecoach trip finally at an end.

After checking into an inn near the docks, Obadiah went off to book passage while Anna settled the family at their lodgings for the night. He returned within an hour, after which the family went out for a good meal and to walk the Liverpool streets to do a bit of sightseeing before leaving English soil. Everyone needed the exercise after being cooped up in a stage coach for so long

The next morning, the Hakeswills boarded a small ship bound for Belfast. Barry and Bridget remembered very little of the ocean voyage home from India, and Will and Katie had never been aboard a ship, so it was a wonderful adventure for all the children.

Two days later, they arrived at the bustling port of Belfast, with an impressive mountain view in the distance as they walked down the gangplank. It was a typical February day, cold and overcast, so Obadiah found temporary lodgings for the family first thing.

Within a few days, Obadiah had rented a small terraced home that had been built within the last ten years and came fully furnished. Despite it being much smaller than what the family had been used to, it was in good condition and in a respectable neighbourhood. Because he knew they'd eventually return to England in due time, he didn't want to spend any more money than was necessary, so this house would do for a temporary extended stay.

He rushed back to the inn to fetch Anna and the children as soon as he'd made the rental agreement.

"I found us a place to live," he told his wife as soon as he entered their room, "Let's pack up our things and go now. There's a carriage waiting downstairs to take us there."

"All right, Obadiah," Anna said gratefully, eager to finally be settled and in a place of their own.

As they pulled up to the house a short time later and went inside, Anna was dismayed to see how small the house was. Though it was neat and well-kept with good furniture, there were only two rooms downstairs and two upstairs, which meant that all the children would be obliged to share a room, but Katie would stay with her and Obadiah for a few months.

Though Anna did not voice her misgivings aloud, Obadiah noted the expression on her face. "I know it's small, missy, but it's comfortable and in a safe neighbourhood where we'll be left in peace. We ain't going to live here forever, so's I thought it was best not to spend too much money while we're here."

"It's fine, Obadiah," she reassured him. "It's much better than our first home in India. And you know I'll be happy anywhere as long as I'm with you. Home is wherever you and the children are."

And, so, the Hakeswills were now at home in Ireland.

'


	57. Catherine's Unwelcome Visitor

_**Author's Note:** The events in this chapter correspond in time to the events in Sharpe's Regiment._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Over the next several months, the Hakeswill family slowly acclimated to their new home in Ireland. Obadiah had never much liked the Irish, but he kept his opinion to himself and learned how to get along with his new neighbours for the sake of his family. Still, they stayed pretty much to themselves, knowing that their stay would not be permanent and also because they didn't want much of their business known to those around them.

Anna schooled the children at home, but the family often took day trips out into the lush, green Irish countryside to escape their cramped quarters for awhile. Nearly every Saturday night, Obadiah went down to the neighbourhood pub to have a few pints and to spend time in the company of other men on a regular basis. Mostly, though, he was content to spend most of his time with his family, considering he'd been away from them for over a year.

He'd purposely refrained from stealing since arriving in Belfast for several good reasons. First of all, he never engaged in stealing when near his family; it had always been a thing he did when away from home. On the odd chance that he'd get caught, he didn't want any sort of retribution to come their way. Obadiah had never been to Ireland before and didn't know the lay of the land. For him to get caught stealing in a totally unfamiliar place, leaving his family stranded there, was something he would not be willing to chance. And he was also well aware that the Irish mostly hated the English, he knew it was important to lay low in order not to draw unwanted attention to himself.

In any instance, there was no need to worry. They had plenty of money to live on, even though Obadiah's instinct was always to try to get more.

Anna was just happy to have her husband back by her side after so long that she didn't mind the cramped quarters, nor living in a different country. Just as she'd claimed before, she was content to simply have her entire family together once more.

Meanwhile, back in England, Catherine Perkins slowly adjusted to living alone. This was the first time she'd ever lived by herself; as a child, she lived with her parents and siblings, after marriage she'd lived with Archibald, and after his death, she'd lived with the Hakeswills. Living alone had taken some getting used to at first, and she was grateful that she at least had the company of the servants.

Fortunately, it hadn't been long before Anna had written with her new address, assuring her aunt that the trip to Ireland had been an uneventful one. Catherine had answered immediately and now, months later, the two women had a regular, familiar rhythm of correspondence.

Catherine had also thrown herself into her church work, knowing that if she kept herself busy, the time would pass more quickly. Anna and Obadiah would be home before she knew it if she did not sit at home alone continually brooding about it. For the meantime, it would help her if she spent time helping others.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Seven months after Obadiah Hakeswill had given him the slip in Adrados, Richard Sharpe returned to England, accompanied by the recently promoted Regimental Sergeant Major Patrick Harper. They'd not returned to England to look for Hakeswill but, rather, to investigate why the South Essex Regiment wasn't getting any new replacements, despite the fact that recruitment was no doubt going on. Indeed, other units were regularly getting new recruits, so they were determined to save their regiment from a threatened disbandment. The two men, along with a few others, had been given leave in order to find out what had happened to make their supply of recruits run dry.

As the group passed into Surrey on their way to London and stopped at a roadside tavern for lunch, Sharpe suddenly remembered his vow to get revenge on Obadiah Hakeswill. Not quite remembering whether the address he'd seen on Hakeswill's confiscated letter had been in Surrey, he fished it out of his pocket to check. He'd carried the letter around with him for months, keeping the symbol of his desire for revenge close at hand. A cunning smile came over his face after he glanced at the letter and saw that he'd been correct about the address.

"What's that, sir?" Harper asked, noting Sharpe's sudden, unexpected change of expression. "Good news?"

"You could say that," Sharpe replied, the wheels turning in his head. Handing him the letter, he said, "Remember this? I found this letter from Hakeswill's wife when we searched his room in Adrados?"

"I remember, sir," Harper said slowly. "What made you think of it now?"

"Look at the address, Pat," Sharpe prompted.

"Ahh, Surrey," Harper said after reading it. "Are you wanting to do what I think you're wanting to do?"

"You know me all too well," Sharpe affirmed. "I say, let's pay the Hakeswills a visit while we're in the area. It's time that bastard got what he deserves."

"How do you know the miserable bugger is even there?" the other man pointed out reasonably. "He might have run off with that Spanish woman he was living in sin with in Adrados. Ol' Obadiah doesn't really strike me as the type to be a faithful husband, so he doesn't."

"You're right," Sharpe admitted. "But I have to check it. Teresa deserves no less."

"That she does," Harper agreed, his tone sorrowful. "Miss Teresa was a good woman." After taking a healthy sip of his ale, he asked, "So when do you want to go?"

"First thing in the morning," Sharpe decided. "You and I will spend the night here and I'll send the others on to London to wait for us. It won't take long to handle it if he's there, because I won't give him the chance to escape from me again."

"You'll kill him in front of his wife and children?" Harper said, somewhat surprised.

"If I have to," Sharpe vowed. "If they're his spawn, they're nothing but gutter rubbish, anyway. And whatever woman would marry the likes of Obadiah Hakeswill should know just what kind of a man she married."

Harper did not quite agree about executing a man in front of his wife and children, but he knew it was useless to try to reason with Sharpe about this, so he kept his opinion to himself.

The next morning, the two comrades in arms set out in the direction of the Perkins estate just after breakfast. They parted ways with the other men in their entourage at the tavern, after telling them they'd catch up in a day or two. They'd hired horses to make the necessary trip faster, not wanting to spend any more time on this unpleasant task than they had to.

The two men reached the Perkins Estate at midday, after stopping to ask directions in a nearby village. As they entered the grounds and passed the manor house, both looked at the mansion and around the neatly kept grounds and lanes.

"Posh estate," Sharpe noted. "I wonder how the likes of Hakeswill ended up staying here, without getting thrown off the land for stealing."

"The address said it was a cottage, right?" Harper said as they continued on past the large manor house.

"Throckmorton Cottage," Sharpe affirmed. Pointing to a lane to their right, he added, "It should be down that lane about a half a mile or so."

"I'd think it would be a small house, then," Harper predicted. "Obadiah's woman is probably a servant of some kind in the big house, I'm guessing."

"Seems reasonable," Sharpe conceded. "It's not as if the filthy bastard could have married the lady of the manor, now, is it?"

"Not very likely, so it isn't," Harper agreed, chuckling. "Hakeswill's woman is no doubt a hatchet faced fishwife."

A short time later, the two men rounded a bend in the lane and saw a decent sized house at the top of a hill.

"You don't suppose that's it, do you?" Harper said, fairly impressed. It wasn't a new home, by any means, nor was it a mansion, but it was a large enough house to raise a good-sized family in.

"It's the only house I can see and we're about a half mile from the big house," Sharpe said. "I can't imagine Obadiah living here, but let's go up there and ask if they know where he lives."

"Right behind you," Harper said, as they both turned their horses up the gravel path leading to the house.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Catherine Perkins had slept late that morning, still recovering from a summer cold. She intended to spend a quiet day reading and, perhaps, doing some needlework. She'd just sent a new letter off to Anna three days before, so there wasn't any correspondence to be attended to that day.

As she relaxed in the sitting room, Catherine enjoyed a cup of tea as she waited for Mrs Harris to cook the noon meal. The weather was overcast with a likelihood of rain later that afternoon, so she had no intention of leaving the house that day.

About an hour after she began reading, she heard a loud knock at the door.

"Would you get that, please, Bessie?" she called out to the maid, who was dusting nearby. "I can't imagine who it could be, as I'm not expecting anyone."

A short time later, Catherine Perkins looked up to see Bessie escort two shabbily dressed soldiers into the sitting room.

"Major Sharpe and Sergeant Major Harper to see you, Lady Perkins," Bessie said, indicating the men.

"Thank you, Bessie," Catherine said. "You may go."

With his shako in his hands, Sharpe inclined his head to the woman sitting on the sofa looking up expectantly at him. "My name is Major Richard Sharpe, Madam, and this is Regimental Sergeant Major Patrick Harper."

"I am the Dowager Lady Perkins," she replied, her tone cool. "How may I help you, Major Sharpe?" She did not invite the men to sit. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she took in the intensity of Richard Sharpe's facial expression. Obadiah had been right, after all; Sharpe had come to hunt him down.

"I'm looking for an army deserter, Lady Perkins," Sharpe began politely. "His name is Obadiah Hakeswill and I have reason to believe that he lives here or somewhere nearby."

"Obadiah Hakeswill does not live here," Catherine said firmly, but truthfully.

"Do you know where he lives?" Sharpe persisted. "Is he one of your servants? Or perhaps his wife is? Was the maid that answered the door his wife?"

"No, he is not one of my servants, nor was my maid his wife," Catherine said, heaving an exasperated sigh, her tone becoming increasingly frosty. "And I could not say where he lives now."

"Could not say or will not say?" Sharpe shot back in frustration. He was convinced that this woman was covering up for that bastard Hakeswill. He just could not figure out why this woman, obviously coming from a much higher class than the ex-sergeant, would want to protect him.

"Excuse me, Major Sharpe, are you questioning my word?" she replied haughtily, one eyebrow raised in disapproval at his blatant rudeness.

Fishing Anna's letter out of his pocket, he showed it to Catherine. "This is a letter addressed to Hakeswill from an Anna Hakeswill from this address. From the contents of the letter, I know that this woman is his wife. You cannot say you do not know these people."

"Begging your pardon, Mister Sharpe," Harper interjected quietly. "Perhaps it is as I said before, that Hakeswill ran off with that Spanish woman he was living with in Adrados?"

Catherine heard Harper's words, but did not show any reaction in front of these two men. Though she was disappointed, she knew that Obadiah was a man like any other, with certain needs. It would have been unrealistic of her to expect that a healthy man would be able to remain celibate for over a year. The important thing was that he'd returned to his wife and family. But this bit of information was something she would never tell Anna about, as it would serve no useful purpose.

"Perhaps you're right, Pat." Turning back to Lady Perkins, he demanded, "Is _she _here? May I speak with Anna Hakeswill?"

"I'm afraid not, Major Sharpe," Catherine said dismissively. "Mrs Hakeswill no longer resides here."

"Where did she go?" he insisted. "It's of the utmost importance that I speak with her. Did she find another position nearby, maybe?"

"Mrs Hakeswill is not a domestic servant," she informed him, her voice dripping with scorn. "She is my _niece_. And she no longer resides with me."

"Your _niece_?" Sharpe was nonplussed, but he believed what the woman had told him. The quality writing paper, the neat handwriting, and the good grammar and spelling on the letter he held was proof enough that Hakeswill had somehow managed to marry above his station, despite all odds.

"Does your niece have any idea at all what kind of man she married?" Sharpe asked, still wondering how the man got any woman at all to marry him, let alone a woman of the pampered upper class.

"I would think so, considering they've been married for nearly thirteen years now," Catherine said dryly. "But I hardly think it's any of your business."

"Apparently, she doesn't, then. Let me tell you just what kind of a man Obadiah Hakeswill really is," Sharpe said severely. "Obadiah is a liar, a thief, a rapist, and a murderer. He is the worst sort of gutter scum who has no business being around women and children."

"How dare you, Mr Sharpe!" Catherine protested indignantly. "You don't have any idea of what you are speaking of."

"He killed my wife!" Sharpe cried out, his broken voice guttural. "And before that, he tried to rape her more than once. That's what kind of a man your niece's husband is!"

"Mr Sharpe," Harper said gently. "This lady doesn't need to hear all that. It's not her fault he's such a miserable sod."

But Sharpe was just getting warmed up. "The only reason he didn't succeed in raping Teresa was because I got there in time to stop him. Other women weren't so lucky. I've known Obadiah for twenty years and whenever I've served with him, he took great pleasure in raping the wives of the men under his command."

As Catherine began to speak again, Sharpe held up a hand to interrupt her. "I'm not finished yet. In Badajoz, he killed a good British officer who got in the way of him trying to rape my wife. After he ran off like the coward he is, he took over a band of deserters, and they robbed and raided their way across Spain, killing anyone who stood in their way. They took two women as hostages and kept them for weeks before demanding ransom. If I'd not rescued them, they'd have been raped by all the deserters, starting with Obadiah. He told me that himself."

"I don't know how much, if any, of what you say is true, Major Sharpe," Catherine said coldly. "But, frankly, I don't much care, one way or the other. I've known Obadiah for nearly ten years and the man I know is an attentive and considerate husband, as well as being a loving father. That's all I care about - how he treats his family."

As Sharpe and Harper exchanged glances, she continued, "Now, I'd like you to leave. I'm sorry about your wife, Major, but I certainly will not sit here and allow myself to be berated about it any longer. I don't know where he is, so there is nothing more to discuss."

After calling Bessie to show the men out, she said, "Good day, gentlemen."

Knowing there was nothing for it and realizing that they were expected soon in London, Sharpe and Harper left without a protest. Obadiah apparently was not there, so there was no use lingering to try to beat a dead horse.

For quite some time after the two men had left, Catherine sat brooding in the sitting room. She'd been telling Sharpe the truth when she'd said that the only thing she really cared about was how Obadiah treated Anna and the children. But she couldn't help but wonder how much of what Sharpe said had been the truth. If Sharpe had been entirely truthful, then there was quite a bit about Obadiah that she didn't know. She'd always suspected there was more to him that met the eye but, still, this did not negate the positive relationship she'd had with him. Catherine knew in her heart that Obadiah's love for his wife and children was genuine and that he would indeed die for them if need be.

She finally came to the conclusion that the truth of the matter was probably somewhere in between what Obadiah had told them and Sharpe's shocking revelations. Obadiah had admitted that there was more to the story than what he'd told her and Anna, and that it was something not fit for the ears of ladies. And Sharpe was driven by raw emotion; his words coloured by grief and a long standing hatred for Obadiah, who had already told her and Anna about their mutual grudge for one another.

Sighing as she left the sitting room for the midday meal twenty minutes later, Catherine knew she could never reveal the details of this conversation to Anna, as it would only needlessly hurt her. Perhaps, one day, she would discuss it with Obadiah, but not any time soon.

After a pensive meal, with Sharpe's words still reverberating in her head, Catherine went to her writing desk to immediately write a letter to Anna and Obadiah . He would want to know right away that Sharpe had come looking for him. Once she finished the letter, she also vowed to herself to pay regular calls on her friends who had access to army gossip for any talk about why Sharpe was in England, as Catherine doubted that he'd been given permission to return to England just to go chasing after a single deserter on a personal quest for revenge. She would find out, then pass the news along to Obadiah.


	58. Eavesdropping in London

Several days after Richard Sharpe and Patrick Harper had left Throckmorton Cottage in exasperated disgust, Barry Hakeswill entered his house in Belfast waving a letter.

"Mother, there's a new letter from Aunt Catherine!" he announced loudly as he entered the front room, looking around for Anna.

"Already?" Anna said, emerging from the staircase, having just put Katie down for a nap. "I just sent a letter off to her yesterday. I wonder why she wrote me again so soon?"

Obadiah, who had been taking a nap on the sofa, rolled onto his side and said, "Maybe she's got some important news and didn't want to wait. Open it, missy, and see what she says."

Anna took the letter from her son and seated herself in a chair by her husband before breaking the seal on the letter. She did not speak for a long moment as she quickly perused the letter.

"Oh, my goodness!" she finally said, leaning back weakly in the chair.

"What?" Obadiah demanded, twitching in impatience. "What did she say?"

Handing the letter over to him, she merely said, "Read it for yourself." Turning back to Barry, she told him, "Go upstairs with your sister and brother. Your father and I have some private business to discuss."

Rising to an upright position on the sofa, Obadiah began to read silently:

_Dear Anna and Obadiah,_

_Something has just happened that Obadiah warned us about, so I thought I should write to you immediately, instead of waiting for your next letter, as I normally do._

_This morning, that Major Sharpe that Obadiah mentioned to us several times arrived at the cottage, along with a Sergeant Major Harper, looking for Obadiah. Apparently, Obadiah had left one of your letters behind when he escaped from Spain and this Major Sharpe found it, with our address written on it, which was how he found me so easily._

_He was quite insistent about finding Obadiah and became quite discourteous with me when I told him that neither Obadiah, nor his family, lived here any longer. I fibbed when I told him I didn't know where you'd gone, and I'm guessing he knows that I fibbed, but there's no way for him to know that for sure._

_I eventually had to tell him to leave after he became increasingly boorish - I have never been talked to so rudely in my life! Major Sharpe was not in control of his emotions and I could see that if not for the calming influence of the other man with him, that he might have entirely lost control of his composure._

_I am not sure where they went after leaving me, but I got the impression that they had other business in England and did not return for the sole purpose of apprehending Obadiah. I intend to pay calls on several friends I know who will be current with local army gossip and I will report anything relevant I learn about Major Sharpe's movements while in England._

_Trusting that you and Obadiah and the children are well, I remain your loving_

_Aunt Catherine_

"I ain't surprised," Obadiah said dismissively, after finishing the letter. "I told you Sharpie would turn up eventually and so he did. I'm just tryin' to figure out how he got hold of one of your letters to me." After thinking for a long moment, he told her, "Oh, I think I knows how he did. I was in such a hurry to run off that I forgot to empty the pockets of my uniform coat 'fore I left. I'd done purposely left the coat behind, 'cos the bright red would have only attracted attention I didn't want when I was makin' my way to Porto to find a ship. I must have left a letter in the coat."

"That makes sense," Anna agreed. "From the tone of Aunt Catherine's letter, it would seem as if his manners have not improved since becoming an officer after I first met him in India. How dare he speak to my aunt in such a fashion? Who does he think he is?"

"Sharpie ain't never been known for knowin' his place," Obadiah observed, twitching briefly. "Always been one getting above himself, he has." Grinning malevolently at his wife, he added, "'Course if I'd have been there, I'd have been glad to teach him a lesson showin' him the error of his ways."

"Just as well we weren't there," Anna said primly. "It wouldn't serve any good purpose for you to get into any more trouble than you already are, though I love you for wanting to protect Aunt Catherine, of course."

"You needs to write back right away to tell her we'll be stayin' put here waiting for whatever she can dig up on Sharpie," Obadiah immediately decided. "The stupid bugger might decide to come back to try again 'fore he leaves England to go back to Spain, so's we don't want to go back home too soon."

"It's always safer to be cautious and prudent," Anna agreed. "I have no desire to encounter that man ever again, nor do I want him anywhere near our children."

"Right you are, missy," he said, twitching again. "I'd die myself 'fore I'd let anything bad happen to you or the little 'uns."

"As long as we stay here, it won't come to that," she reminded him. "Let's not mention any of this to the children. There's no need to upset them unnecessarily."

"I don't means to do that, don't you worry," he assured her. As he rolled back over to resume his nap, Obadiah couldn't help but feel proud of Catherine for lying so smoothly to Sharpie. He was sorry that she'd been subjected to Sharpie's nonsense, but was glad she'd been able to handle him with no problem. He soon fell asleep, secure in the knowledge that Catherine had things well under control in England.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Nearly a week after Catherine Perkins had sent off a letter to Anna and Obadiah advising them about Richard Sharpe's unwelcome visit, a letter arrived for her from an old friend who now lived in London.

She and Lady Jemima Featherstone had met through their husbands several years ago, and now kept in touch mainly through correspondence. Catherine had not seen Jemima since Archibald had died, however.

As she opened the letter to read, Bessie brought in a pot of tea. Catherine smiled as she read the letter while sipping her tea. It seemed that Jemima had invited her to come up to London to stay for two weeks for a house party and ball and had even offered to send a carriage after her.

After finishing her tea, Catherine went immediately to her writing desk to pen a note of acceptance to Lady Featherstone. It would be nice to see her old friend again and, better yet, it would give her the perfect chance to hear some army gossip, as Jemima had a son who was an officer in the army. Surely, her son had to either know Richard Sharpe or at least know of him. From what Obadiah had told her, Sharpe seemed to have made a name for himself in the army, so Catherine had reasonable hopes that she might hear news of his business and movements in London. Her friend's invitation could not have come at a more opportune time.

Over the next several days, Catherine was busy with Bessie in getting her gowns freshened up for the trip. She had several that Jemima had not seen before, so she knew she could get by without having any new ones made.

During all of this, a letter arrived from Anna, acknowledging the news about Richard Sharpe's visit and advising her that she and Obadiah would sit tight and wait for news of further developments. Catherine dashed off a quick note back, telling them of her upcoming house party in London and that she hoped to gather more information about Sharpe's movements while she was there.

Early one morning, several days later, the carriage that Jemima had promised arrived to pick Catherine up for the trip to London. Her personal maid, Abby, would be coming along to attend her which would leave Bessie and the Harrises to look after Throckmorton Cottage in her absence. Catherine had left strict instruction with the servants that they were not to give out any information about the Hakeswills should Richard Sharpe or any other officer came to visit.

It was a beautiful day for travelling; warm, but not stiflingly hot. A gentle breeze wafted into the carriage windows as they made their way into the city. Catherine simply sat back and enjoyed the scenery rolling by, allowing her mind to wander from her current concerns, at least for as long as the journey lasted. The swaying of the carriage eventually lulled her to sleep, so by the time the carriage rolled to a stop in front of Lady Featherstone's luxurious home, she was well rested and refreshed.

"Catherine, how lovely to see you again after so long," Lady Featherstone greeted cordially, as Catherine was announced and ushered into the sitting room shortly after her arrival. "You're looking well. How do you keep yourself looking so young?"

"Thank you for inviting me," Catherine replied, smiling. "I've looked forward to coming."

"Well, now that you're out of official mourning, you can be sure that George and I will be inviting you more often," the other woman assured her. "Now, I'm sure you'll want to get settled before dinner, so I'll call Priscilla to show you to your room. Dinner will be at six."

"Thank you," Catherine said. "I believe I will take advantage of that opportunity."

Over the next few days, Catherine saw more old friends as they came to call on Jemima. For a short time, she was able to put Obadiah's problem to the back of her mind and just enjoy herself for awhile. She'd not been away from the Perkins Estate since Archibald had died, nor had she been in the company of her friends from her own generation, so she was glad to take this trip, simply for its own sake. She had her ears open for any hint of gossip about Richard Sharpe, but did not expect to learn much in these all-female gatherings before the ball. But she did learn that there would be quite a few army officers as guests, so she was content to wait to let things unfold as they would.

On the night of the party, wearing her newest gown made of jade coloured silk, Catherine casually circulated among all the guests, keeping her ears open for any mention of Richard Sharpe. Jemima's son, James Featherstone, was an infantry captain who had served time in both Portugal and Spain, so he surely would know Sharpe or at least know of him.

Because she could not directly ask Captain Featherstone whether or not he knew Richard Sharpe, Catherine simply remained within earshot of him, especially when he was conversing with other army officers. Neither Jemima nor her other friends knew of her connection to Obadiah Hakeswill which is how Catherine intended to keep it, knowing they would not be able to understand Catherine's patronage of him. Because she had no other connection to Major Sharpe other than the one with Obadiah, she would have no legitimate reason to ask openly about him. So, she simply trailed after James Featherstone and hoped for the best.

Fortunately, it was not long before her eavesdropping efforts were rewarded. Not long after Catherine had seated herself in a chair not far from a fireplace where a group of officers were chatting, she overheard one man say, "I say, did you hear what Richard Sharpe did when he saw Prinny the other day?"

"I didn't even know he was in England, let alone had an audience with the Prince," another officer replied. "What did he say?"

"The Prince summoned Sharpe to court to tell him about how he obtained the French eagle at Talavera, but Sharpe had the nerve to go on and complain about staffing shortages in the South Essex," the first officer said. "Can you believe that? The man doesn't know the first thing about going through proper channels, nor proper decorum with his betters."

"Well, what else can you expect of a man raised up from the ranks?" the second officer said. "I've always said that it's a mistake to promote a man above his station. They may know how to fight, but they never know how to behave as gentlemen, no matter how long they've been officers, nor how high a rank they eventually attain. It's just a bad show all around."

"Quite," the first man agreed, Chuckling, he added, "I can't imagine he can get by with talking to Wellington like that, can you?"

"Not at all," the second said. "Wellington is not at all tolerant of insubordination from what I've heard."

"Sharpe seems to lead a charmed life, though," the first officer pointed out. "The normal rules don't seem to apply to him at all. Both the Prince and Wellington apparently hold him in the highest of esteem."

"Why was he even in England for in the first place?" the second officer inquired. "I can't imagine Prinny summoned him all the way from Spain just to talk about Talavera."

"He's here about his staffing shortages," the other officer said. "Seems as if there's talk that the South Essex will be disbanded if they can't raise enough recruits to bring it back up to strength. Naturally, Sharpe doesn't want to see that, because he'll be out of a command if that happens."

"Can't blame him for wanting to avoid that," the second officer said sympathetically. "I wonder why they're not getting any recruits?"

"Haven't a clue," the first officer said. "It does seem rather odd. I had heard that there were 700 new recruits at Chelmsford, so it doesn't make any sense that the South Essex is nearly depleted."

"I suppose that's what he's going to do, then, while he's here?" the second man said. "Investigate what happened to the recruits?"

"I would imagine so," the first man said, taking a sip of champagne. "A disagreeable task, to be sure."

At this point, the men began discussing other topics, but Catherine was satisfied. She had enough to write to Obadiah about. It seemed that Richard Sharpe would be rather busy for the near future, but had no immediate plans to leave the country.

Catherine resumed her mingling after the men drifted off, but did not hear any more mention of Richard Sharpe again that evening.

Two days later, Catherine had left London to return home, feeling relaxed and content. The trip had been just the thing she'd needed to keep from missing Anna, Obadiah, and the children so much, and she'd been able do something for Obadiah as well. She'd written another letter to them the morning after the ball, to bring Obadiah up to date on what she'd found out about Sharpe and to tell Anna about the ball. But instead of giving the letter for a servant to mail for her, she'd done it herself just before leaving London, knowing this was a precaution Obadiah would approve of. She smiled to herself as the carriage rattled down London's cobbled streets heading south, thinking of how a bit of Obadiah had rubbed off on her. Catherine had to admit to herself that it had been a great deal of fun playing spy.

Despite enjoying her time with her old friends, Catherine was eager to get home to her familiar domestic routine. She wasn't as young as she used to be and she'd realized that the social whirl of London no longer held as much appeal as it once did. At this point in her life, she much preferred being a surrogate grandmother to the Hakeswill children, and this made her miss them all over again. As the carriage drew nearer to Surrey, she silently wished that Richard Sharpe would get on with his business in England and return to Spain as quickly as possible, so that her family could come back home where they belonged.

Several weeks after arriving back home, Catherine received a letter from a friend who'd also been at the ball, Lady Eliza Templeton. Eliza had always been one to spread gossip far and wide, and this letter was no different. Nestled among pages of gossip about various and sundry people was a very useful update of Richard Sharpe's movements.

It seemed that Sharpe had uncovered an elaborate lucrative scheme to divert recruits meant for the South Essex to be sold to other regiments. After bringing this to the attention of the Prince of Wales himself in a most dramatic fashion, he'd been presented with the men from the last batch of recruits to return with to was left of the South Essex in Spain, where the group would be known henceforth as the Prince of Wales Own Regiment. Judging from the date of the letter, by the time it had reached Catherine, Sharpe and his men were already en route to Spain.

But the most juicy bit of news was that Sharpe had apparently eloped with Jane Gibbons, who was the niece of Sir Henry Simmerson, shortly after meeting her.

This was the news Catherine had been waiting for ever since Sharpe had made his unwelcome visit. It seemed that Obadiah had been entirely correct, as usual, when he'd predicted that Sharpe would not mourn for his dead wife for very long - the poor woman had been dead for less than a year! So, to Catherine's way of thinking, Richard Sharpe would likely not be bothering Obadiah any longer. He'd put his dead wife firmly into the past and would be getting on with his life. And this would allow Obadiah to get on with his as well.

It was finally time to write to her family and tell them to come home.


	59. Home For Good

A few days after Catherine Perkins had arrived home on the return trip from London, the Hakeswills went into town to do their weekly shopping for food and anything else they might need that week. As Anna spent time inspecting and choosing among the vegetable vendors, Obadiah decided to take a stroll to the nearby post office to check if there were any new letters from Catherine. It would give Anna a chance to shop without him being underfoot and it would save him from some of the tedium of shopping.

As he strode purposefully away from the market square, after telling Anna he would return within the hour, Barry tagged after him. "Da!" he called out. "Can I come with you. Shopping is boring!"

"That it is," Obadiah said, cackling good-naturedly . "Come on, then, boy. Let's us men take us a bit of a walk and leave the womenfolk do their shopping, eh?"

"I'm with you, Da," the boy said eagerly. Since Obadiah's return from Spain, Barry took every chance he could get to spend time with his father, just the two of them, trying to make up for lost time. Obadiah was glad for the company, but couldn't help but think that by the time he was Barry's age, he'd already survived a botched hanging and had joined the army. He'd never had the family that his son now had and, for that, he was grateful. He'd not wish for any child to have to grow up as he'd had to do, not even Sharpie's brat.

They were in luck when they entered the post office, as there was a letter waiting from Aunt Catherine. Obadiah didn't read it in front of Barry, nor did he speculate about what the contents might be, because he didn't want to get the boy's hopes up about going home. Nor did he want him to know too much of the details of the feud between him and Richard Sharpe.

When the family arrived back home about an hour and a half later, Obadiah followed Anna up the stairs as she went to change Katie in their bedroom.

"Got another letter here from Catherine," he announced after shutting the door behind them, pulling it out of his pocket to show her.

"What did she have to say?" Anna asked, as she laid their youngest daughter on the bed to change.

"I didn't read it, 'cos I didn't want to do it in front of Barry and have him askin' me a bunch of questions," he explained.

"Why don't you do it now, then, as you can plainly see that I have my hands full with Katie," she said in a matter of fact tone.

"All right, missy," Obadiah said, twitching briefly. "Give me a minute here." He went to sit in the rocking chair by the window, as he opened the letter to read.

Quickly perusing the letter, he began to smile, his grin growing wider the more he read.

"What is it, Obadiah?" she demanded, now having finished up with Katie. "You're grinning just like the cat who ate the canary."

"We're going home," he announced quietly, still grinning widely. "Soon as I can make the arrangements, we are."

"Oh?" Anna said, cocking he head to one side in curiosity.

"Seems that Sharpie done met him another bint. He's already ran off with her and eloped," he explained. "And she's the niece of Sir Henry Simmerson, too, who hates Sharpie 'bout as much as I do. No wonder they had to run off, 'cos Sir Henry never would have agreed to his niece marrying a piece of gutter scum like Sharpie." Heavy a gusty sigh, he added, "So, this means that Sharpie has moved on and done forgot about his Spanish whore. He will have better things to be doing now than hunting me down."

"Seems as if he couldn't have mourned his wife all that much if he's replaced her less than a year after her death," Anna sniffed. "Promise me, Obadiah, that you won't remarry so quickly if you happen to survive me."

"Missy, if that happens, I won't ever remarry," he told her firmly, twitching as he brushed one hand across her cheek while gazing into her eyes. "There ain't no other woman for me but you. Why would I ever need to marry again when I've had the best wife a man could ever have?" Pulling her down onto his lap, he added, "And you'd better not die on me, 'cos I won't allow it."

Laughing merrily, she said, "Don't worry, love. I intend to be by your side for many more years yet to come." Leaning forward, she kissed him soundly. "I love you Obadiah Hakeswill."

"And I loves you, too, Anna," he said, kissing her back. "You're my life."

For the next few minutes, both were silent as they engaged in a bit of kissing, but no more than, considering that Katie was in the room. The couple would celebrate in more detail later that evening.

After a few moments, Anna reluctantly disengaged herself from his embrace, as it was nearly time to make dinner. "So. When do you want to tell the children?"

"We can tell them right now or we can wait and tell them over dinner," he said. "Don't matter none either way to me."

"We'll tell them during dinner, then," she decided. "There's no need in ruining their appetites by telling them before."

"Right you are, missy," he agreed.

"So, how soon do you think you'll be able to make the arrangements and we can be on our way?" she asked, ready to start packing that very moment.

"Say, a week or so," he estimated. "No more 'n that, I'd think."

"Good, I'll get started right away in organizing our belongings for the trip," she said decisively.

"Eager to go home, are you?" he asked, cackling in bemusement.

"We can't leave fast enough," Anna said seriously. "I do so look forward to being settled back in our own home and to resume our normal lives, and put all this disagreeable business behind us."

"You and me both, missy," he agreed, twitching. "But I'm wondering what I'm going to do with myself now, considering that the army has been my life for so many years."

"You'll think of something, I'm sure," Anna said, kissing him on his bony cheek. "You are the most practical and inventive man I've ever known. You'll make a place for yourself, I'm sure of it."

"'Preciate you believing in me," Obadiah said. "That's one of the things I've always loved most about you."

Some time later, as the Hakeswill family settled around the dinner table and had begun to eat, Obadiah said, seemingly out of the blue, "I got some good news for you all."

After waiting to see the expectant expressions on the faces of his three oldest children, he told them, "We're going home for good Aunt Catherine wrote and told me and your mother that it's now safe to come back."

"Oh, lovely!" Bridget cried happily, clapping her hands together. "I've been missing the pianoforte ever so much and I can not wait to play it again. I hope I've not forgotten all that Aunt Catherine taught me." After a slight pause, she belatedly added, "And, of course, I've missed Aunt Catherine as well."

"I'll be glad to have my own room back and not have to share it with the two of you," Barry put in, looking at his siblings.

"Me, too," Will piped up. "You _snore_, Barry!"

"I do not!" The older boy said indignantly.

"Do so!" Will insisted. "You keep me awake at night."

"He's right," Bridget said placidly. "You _do _snore, but it doesn't keep me awake."

"That's quite enough, now, children," Anna said severely. "Keep quiet and let your father finish speaking, please."

"Listen close now," Obadiah told his children, giving each one of them a stern look. "'Cos what I got to say now is very important." After they nodded, he continued, "When we gets back, you can't tell none of your friends the real reason we left home all of a sudden and stayed away so long. But you have to tell 'em something, so's they won't be wondering it about it and coming up with their own reasons why we left, see?

After the three children indicated that they did, indeed, see, he went on, "What I wants you to tell anyone who asks is that we went to visit and take care of a sick aunt of mine and that we came back 'cos she got better. You understand?"

"Yes, Da," they all said in unison.

"We'll be leaving within the week, so's I want all of you to help your mother with the packing," he told them. "Quicker we can pack up, quicker we can get out of here."

Five days later, the Hakeswill family boarded a ship in Belfast's harbour to begin their journey back to Surrey, with scarcely a backward glance as they left the city. Their time in exile was over and they were eager to return to their home where Aunt Catherine would be waiting for them.

After arriving back in Liverpool, Anna had a lot of time to think while the series of stagecoaches slowly rumbled east across the English countryside. Obadiah and the children slept on and off during the long, boring ride, but Anna could not relax enough even to doze. She knew that Katie might need her at any time and that she also needed to be kept safe from any hazards that might occur.

Looking fondly at her snoring husband as the coach continued to bounce along, Anna's mind drifted back to the time when she and Obadiah had first met in India. She'd been so sad and alone then, rejected by her father while trying to raise the baby who'd been the product of a loveless encounter. Her eyes misted over as she thought of poor baby Joseph, now dead longer than Barry had been alive. She hadn't thought about him in ages, as the painful memory of his death had receded into the misty past. Nevertheless, she would never forget the love she had, and still carried, for her firstborn child, despite the circumstances of how he'd come into the world.

But Joseph's birth was not a mistake, she firmly believed. Indeed, if not for him, she would have never met Obadiah, nor would she have ever given him a second glance had she happened to have encountered him before Joseph's birth. Glancing down at Katie and over at the other children, she could not imagine life if they'd never existed. She likely would have been in a dull, arranged marriage to a very proper gentleman whom she did not love. Now, she felt truly blessed with her only regret being that Joseph was not here along with his half-siblings. Wiping a tear from one eye, she patted Obadiah's hand lovingly with the other.

He awakened suddenly as he felt Anna's hand lightly touching his. After being in the army for so many years, Obadiah had learned to be a light sleeper as a necessary tool for survival. Twitching briefly, then blinking his eyes as he slowly returned to consciousness, he rasped out, "What's wrong, missy?"

"Nothing, love," Anna said softly. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"That's all right," he said affably. "It's not like I ain't had enough rest already." Noting the pensive expression on her face, he asked, "What are you thinking about, eh?"

"I was thinking about the time we first met," she confessed shyly. "I've been feeling rather nostalgic lately and I've been thinking back quite often."

"I been doing a bit of that myself," he admitted. "Even more since I've been back home." Sensing her emotions, he asked, "Why are you so sad, then, missy? It was the happiest day of my life when I met you."

"I was just thinking about Joseph," she told him. "I just wish he could have been here with us. The poor babe never had a chance to live a proper life."

Squeezing her hand in understanding, he said, "I knows you'll always miss him."

Giving him a hesitant smile, she replied, "But if not for Joseph, I would have never met you or had our children, and that I can not imagine. That's what I was thinking about just now."

"Some things are just meant to be, missy," he said. "I knows you would have never looked at a gutter bastard like me if you'd not been in a bad situation 'cos of Joseph. I'm sorry he's gone, but I'm glad things turned out like they did for the two of us. 'Fore I met you, I didn't think that anyone would ever love me like my mother did."

"I would have been the loser had I passed you by," she said stoutly, even though she knew that his words were essentially correct. "I would have likely ended up being married to some pretentious snob my father picked out for me and I'd have been bored to death in a loveless marriage."

"I probably would have been dead by now," Obadiah predicted darkly. "Sharpie probably would have eventually killed me or I would have killed him. Either that, or I could likely have died in battle. And if I'd lived through all of that, the army would have thrown me out when I got too old to fight and I would have ended up a decrepit old beggar, all alone."

"It seems both our lives would have been worse off had we not met," Anna said, snuggling up close to him. "God really does work in mysterious ways."

"That he does, missy," he agreed "And we got four good little 'uns, who will take care of us when we're old and decrepit, too."

"And give us grandchildren one day," she added. "I'm looking forward to that."

"Not too soon," he said, twitching. "First, we have to raise the ones we got."

"Of course," she said. "But one day it will be nice to have grandchildren."

"I'll just be happy to do whatever I wants to do now, instead of having to do the army's bidding," he replied. "Still, though, if not for the army, I'd have never met you."

"Everything happens for a reason," Anna pointed out. "I've always believed that."

"It would seem so," he agreed, yawning, as he settled himself contentedly for another nap.

A couple of days later, as the stagecoach was finally clattering down the lane leading to Throckmorton Cottage, everyone was awake in eager anticipation as their home came into view.

"There it is," Barry called out eagerly. "I can't wait to get out of this stuffy coach. I won't mind even doing yard chores just as long as I don't have to sit so long any more." Looking at his father he said, "Can I get out and walk the rest of the way, Da?"

The other children thought this was a fine idea and chimed in, "Can we, Da? Please?"

"It ain't that much further," Obadiah told them irritably, briefly twitching. "It won't hurt you none to ride just that little bit more."

The children obeyed immediately, though grumbling to themselves as they settled back into their seats.

"Oh, I'm so glad to finally be at home," Anna said enthusiastically, touching Obadiah's arm affectionately as the coach pulled to a stop in front of the house. "It will be so good to sleep in our own bed again."

"That it will, missy," Obadiah agreed, chuckling. "Among other things."

Aunt Catherine came out to greet them a moment later, having heard the heavy stagecoach lumbering up the gravel path to the house. The children quickly scrambled out first and ran to greet their aunt, as Obadiah helped Anna to alight with Katie.

"Here we go, missy," he said quietly, with a slight twitch. "Home for good, we are." With the army and his feud with Richard Sharpe permanently behind him, Obadiah Hakeswill accompanied his wife and family into the house.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_**Author's note: **__This is the last regular chapter. There will be an epilogue next, which will finish "Let This Heart Be Still". I hope to be writing another Obadiah story soon._


	60. Epilogue

The Hakeswills soon settled back into life at Throckmorton Cottage after their return from Belfast. It took Obadiah awhile longer to adjust than did the rest of his family, considering that the army had been his life since he was twelve years old. Thinking about the many years of idleness ahead of him had been rather daunting, knowing he'd have to come up with other ways to keep himself busy.

As the months had flown by, he'd slowly became acclimated to being a full time husband and father. Being able to spend as much time as he wanted with his sweet Anna had brought a deep contentment to him. He'd also gained a great deal of satisfaction from spending time with the children, knowing that Barry and Will especially needed a man's influence during these formative years, something that Obadiah had been obliged to grow up without.

Despite no longer being in the army, Obadiah was nonetheless interested in what was going on in the world. Not long after they'd arrived home, he had taken out a newspaper subscription, so he was able to keep up with how the war was progressing, usually reading it in the mornings over breakfast. Catherine had also kept up with her gossip contacts for army news, considering the unlikely possibility that Richard Sharpe might make another attempt to apprehend Obadiah.

But as months turned into a year with no indications of that possibility ever becoming apparent, Obadiah and his family relaxed as their lives coalesced into a comfortable, familiar routine. The war had ended on the Iberian Peninsula, with Napoleon abdicating his control of France.

Aunt Catherine had heard through the grapevine that Sharpe's marriage to Jane Gibbons had fizzled out after only a short time together. The new Mrs Sharpe had emptied his bank account in London and had deserted him to become the mistress of Lord John Rossendale, leaving Sharpe high and dry.

Obadiah had chortled with gleeful schadenfreude when Catherine had read him the letter containing that bit of gossip, saying, "Serves 'im right. I'd like to meet that lass and make her an honorary member of the Hakeswill family." He'd laughed for days about it, while Catherine and Anna had just shaken their heads over Jane's apparent fickleness. After another letter had come with the news of him taking a French mistress and almost coming to blows over her with another officer, the two women shook their heads yet again.

Almost two years after the Hakeswills had returned to Surrey from Ireland, Catherine had heard that Richard Sharpe had settled for good in France with his mistress, along with their infant son. Obadiah had cackled again, well aware that Sharpie could never marry his Froggy woman as long as his second wife remained alive, simultaneously hoping that Jane Sharpe enjoyed a long, long life.

The three adults had heaved a collective sigh, knowing that Obadiah's nemesis would not ever be back to harass him, and that Obadiah could go wherever he wanted to in England without having to worry about being confronted by Richard Sharpe.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Seven months after Obadiah Hakeswill had parted from Maria Sanchez at the docks in Porto, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy in Cadiz. Because the baby was three-quarters English, no one in Maria's family was fooled into thinking he was sired by the swarthy Ernesto Sanchez, but they wisely kept their doubts to themselves, as no one in the family had ever liked Ernesto. Maria had told her sister about British soldiers being in Adrados, so her sister Estrella figured out for herself that the father of Maria's child must have been one of these Englishmen.

Maria never married again, but devoted herself to her active little boy, who brought great joy into her life. Though Obadiah had sent her small amounts of money a few times in the first couple of years, she and her sister were mostly able to get by on their own by sewing and taking in laundry. Estrella's children were older and when they became old enough to work, they helped to support the family as well.

Obadiah's son grew into a strapping young man who eventually became a fisherman, shortly before marrying and raising a family of his own. Though his mother eventually told him about his real father, showing him the few notes Obadiah had enclosed with the money he'd sent, he never met his father, nor did Maria ever see him again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As the Hakeswill children grew up, Obadiah and Anna had more time to enjoy each other's company as never before, now that there were no duties taking him away from her, either for short or long intervals.

To keep himself occupied as the years passed, he took up woodworking, remembering how well the baby cradle he'd made in India so long ago had turned out. He ended up making several fine bookcases and other types of furniture for Throckmorton Cottage, which were admired by guests of the family. After word had spread about his skills, he began making things for others and eventually made a rather tidy sum of money.

What had started out just as something to keep him busy, had turned into a thriving, profitable business that had kept him occupied well into his old age. He taught both his boys the craft and while both became creditable woodworkers, only Barry developed a real talent for it.

Barry was apprenticed to a local barrister once he finished his schooling and married a merchant's daughter a short time later. Within a few years, they'd presented Anna and Obadiah with three grandchildren whom Anna spoiled shamelessly. Obadiah doted on them as well, but was not as indulgent with them as Anna was.

In his spare time, Barry still helped his father with the woodworking business, taking it over after he decided to retire early from the law, eventually passing it down to his sons.

In her mid twenties, Bridget married the second son of a baronet, who lived the life of a country squire while nominally in charge of one of the family's textile mills. She'd met her future husband at a house party at the Perkins estate mansion and it had been love at first sight. It had been such that he'd been willing to marry the plain young woman without sufficient dowry or connections. The marriage was a happy one that eventually produced five children.

As her young family grew, Bridget penned a series of novels, published under a pseudonym, giving her a substantial income of her own.

Will joined the Navy, becoming a midshipman at sixteen, then worked his way up the ranks until he commanded ships of his own. He never married, preferring his independence to roam, but greatly enjoyed his nieces and nephews on the rare times he got to see them.

On one voyage to America in the early 1860s, when commanding a merchant vessel after retiring from the British Navy, Captain William Hakeswill had a French cavalrymen on board who was on his way to act as an advisor to the Union Army. This was Patrick Lassan, who was the son of Richard Sharpe, the nemesis of Will's father during his years in the army. Though Lassan ate at the captain's table several times during the voyage, neither man was aware of the role that their respective fathers had played in each other's lives and had parted amicably at the conclusion of the voyage.

Katie remained single until she was nearly thirty, staying home to care for her aging parents. When the old vicar at the neighbourhood church retired, the new one was just a few years older than Katie and still as yet unmarried. Their relationship began as a friendship, growing as Katie participated in church activities. She was at first reluctant to accept when he proposed marriage to her, worrying about who would look after her elderly parents. Katie consented only after Anna and Obadiah had urged her to follow her heart's desire. Living just down the road from her parents, she had two children who saw their grandparents often.

Obadiah and Anna had a long and happy life together, with both living to advanced old age, dying within weeks of each other. It had been a good life for both of them.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

**Obadiah's Song**  
(_Sung to the tune of "Over the Hills and Far Away")_

When running from the gallows man  
Leaving home was my new plan  
I joined the army one fine day  
Over the hills and far away

A sergeant's life I soon did lead  
Another life I did not need  
Fooling officers was my way  
Over the hills and far away

Stealing, lying was my game  
My men said bastard was my name  
I am a man they could not tame  
Over the hills and far away

When true love did come to me  
A thing I thought would never be  
I'll live with her for all my days  
Over the hills and far away

In Portugal I killed Sharpe's wife  
And then he vowed to take my life  
But I can't die, I got away  
Over the hills and far away

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

**Acknowledgements**

First, I'd like to thank Bernard Cornwell for writing the Sharpe novels and for creating Obadiah in the first place. Next, I want to especially thank the late Pete Postlethwaite for bringing Obadiah to life, and who expanded Cornwell's original creation and made him such a compelling character. Pete had the wonderful ability to play Obadiah as being both menacing and vulnerable at the same time.

I'd also like to thank the writers, directors, producers, and all others involved in the making of _Sharpe's Company_ and _Sharpe's Enemy_. Re-watching these episodes several times during the writing process helped me to keep Obadiah in character, and I'm grateful for the bits of dialogue I borrowed from both films.

Next, I'd like to thank those people who run the following websites: _The Sharpe Compendium, Sharpe Pointe, Brian's Richard Sharpe Timeline_, and _Jane_ _Austen's World._ I'm also grateful to Richard Holmes for his book, _Redcoat_, which was a treasure trove of facts about the British army during Obadiah's era and others. These sources were all quite useful when I needed to research for continuity and for matters of historical accuracy.

I'd like to also mention Steshette, whose YouTube video of Obadiah, using the Metallica song, _Mama Said,_ was a major inspiration for me to write this story at all. A line from this song also provided me with the title for my story.

Last, but not least, I'd like to thank Susan and Esther for their continued support during the writing of this story. Their comments, suggestions, and brainstorming were of invaluable help to me, especially at points where I was stuck with writer's block. I appreciate it more than either of you will ever know.

Fittingly, I end this story on what would have been Pete Postlethwaite's 66th birthday.

**End**


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